MCC Updates

Major Flood Updates In the next 2 weeks, there are several major updates in regards to the National Flood Insurance Program: Program Expiration on March 23rd The NFIP, once again, is set to expire at midnight on Friday, March 23rd. The NFIP continues to be tied to the Congressional Budget. If there is a government shutdown, the NFIP also shuts down. This will continue to be an issue as Congress intends to only pass short term extensions for the foreseeable future. Unlike past extensions, this will be our ONLY update until March 23rd. So please be vigilant. FEMA has issued guidance for insurance companies on how to handle writing new flood policies, policy renewals, and claims during a flood program expiration. The MCC has created consumer guidance for you as an insured to know what to do before, during and after a flood program expiration. Overall, our guidance outlines that: -If you have a flood policy renewing after March 23rd, and within the next few weeks, PAY IT NOW -If you are planning to close on a home after March 23rd, PAY FOR THE POLICY NOW. If paid before the program expires, the policy […]

NEXT STEP: RECOVERY As predicted, the March 2018 Nor’easter has caused extensive damage to many of our communities. From undermined homes, damaged seawalls, and flooded neighborhoods, our coastal areas have suffered damage unseen in many years. The most important step is a strong recovery. The MCC has some recommendations for you to recover. Read this BEFORE you start cleanup: –Take photos of what was lost BEFORE you clean up. -Contact your insurance agent right away- You have 60 days to file your proof of loss -If your building is substantially damaged, contact your community for assistance. -Decks are not covered under a flood policy. -If you have a home that was flooded, secure it! More storms are coming, and some items may be excluded if you allow water to continue to damage the building. -Disaster assistance is only available if we get a Presidential disaster declaration. -Remember: A loss within 10 days of each other are considered the same loss. The MCC has developed two great tools for you: -Our post disaster resource guide: CLICK HERE -Our ins and outs to filing a flood insurance claim: CLICK HERE -There is a suspension of some requirements for cleanup under […]

The MCC cannot emphasize enough the severity of the impending storm. According to the National Weather Service: -This will be a top storm of all time -This storm does have the capability to destroy coastal property -The tide in this storm, between Friday at 11:20am and Friday at 11:49pm, is not expected to go out. A surge of up to 5 feet will keep the tide high even during low tide. -Swells of between 25’ and 35’ are expected -Wind gusts of up to 70mph are expected -Surge of at least 3-4ft in most areas TAKE ACTION NOW. In addition to protecting property, if you feel inclined to evacuate, do not wait for the tides to begin to roll in. PLEASE FOLLOW THE ADVICE OF LOCAL EMERGENCY OFFICIALS RESOURCES: The MCC has several resources available for actions after a storm: -Our guide to filing a flood insurance claim: CLICK HERE -Our public resources guide for financial assistance: CLICK HERE Images of the storm can be reported to Coastal Zone Management through their reporting site: https://mycoast.org/ma We will be posting videos of the storm on our website, so please stay tuned.

Be Prepared for upcoming Nor’ Easter/Coastal Flooding The flooding of early January made us very aware that history can still be made by large flooding events. We also were made aware that a fast or slow moving storm can change the severity of an event. PLEASE BE AWARE: There is a nor’easter that will significantly impact our area for MULTIPLE tide cycles. The January storm was a one tide storm. The predicted storm for this weekend could be a 4 TIDE storm. Be prepared for: Significant coastal flooding (A base tide of over 11 feet with surge above that); Winds of potentially over 60mph; Start time is Thursday evening; Problem tides: Thursday, March 1st at 11:01pm; Friday March 2nd at 11:20am; Friday March 2nd at 11:49pm; Saturday, March 3rd at 12:09pm. BE PREPARED: There are things you can do now to prepare for this storm: Elevate contents out of basements (basements have limited coverage through the NFIP); Remove and or secure items from yards/landscape area to reduce damage and debris. Secure shutters or board up windows for those who experience wave action. Remove autos from flood prone areas Do not drive through flooded streets and stay away from known flooded […]

THE NFIP HAS BEEN EXTENDED After a six-hour government shut-down, this past Friday Congress came to an agreement and funded the Federal Government. The short-term extension will fund the government through March 23rd. This includes the extension of the NFIP. However, as we have mentioned in past updates, this will once again be short term and will require our vigilance for the next six weeks. There is hope that in this time, legislators may try to work on some form of longer term NFIP extension that may or may not include reforms. We will continue to monitor the situation. Please email us for more detailed questions.

NFIP SET TO EXPIRE FRIDAY FEBRUARY 8th As of the writing of this message, Congress has not yet extended the National Flood Insurance Program, which expires at midnight on Thursday, February 8th. The NFIP continues to be tied to the Congressional Budget. If there is a government shutdown, the NFIP also shuts down. This will continue to be an issue as Congress intends to only pass short term extensions for the foreseeable future. The proposed legislation would extend government spending to March 23rd. FEMA has issued guidance for insurance companies on how to handle writing new flood policies, policy renewals, and claims during a flood program expiration. The MCCC has created consumer guidance for you as an insured to know what to do before, during and after a flood program expiration. Overall, our guidance outlines that: -If you have a flood policy renewing after February 8th, and within the next few weeks, PAY IT NOW -If you are planning to close on a home after February 8th, PAY FOR THE POLICY NOW. If paid before the program expires, the policy will still go effective on the closing during a program expiration. -If your policy is in force before the program expires, and […]

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition Rebrands to go National Marshfield and Massachusetts Coastal Coalitions combine and rebrand as the MCC After 6 years of amazing success, The Marshfield and Massachusetts Coastal Coalitions have combined and rebranded as the MCC. This acronym based name will broaden the Coalition to focus both locally and nationally. The change to MCC, which means both Marshfield and Massachusetts, will include the following changes: A new mission statement The mission of the MCC is to educate, advocate, and inform professionals and stakeholders regionally and nationally, on flood hazards. This will also include new goals, coming soon. A new website The new website, www.knowflood.org, will be live in the second quarter of 2018. This new website will be substantially different, and will now offer tools for our constituents to use. Our current web address will forward to the new site when it goes live. A new structure The new MCC bylaws help structure and broaden the Board of Directors and our mission. We are now looking to bring on talented volunteers to serve in 3 newly created Board seats. Our Chair, Joe Rossi, will now also serve as Executive Director. […]

The NFIP Has Been Extended After a three-day government shut-down which included a three day NFIP lapse, Congress has come to an agreement and funded the Federal Government. The short-term extension will fund the government through February 8. This includes the extension of the NFIP. However, as we have mentioned in past updates, this will once again be short term and will require our vigilance for the next two and a half weeks. There is no word yet on whether the NFIP will be made effective to be retroactive for the three days it has lapsed. We will continue to monitor the situation. Please email us for more detailed questions.

The National Flood Insurance Program has lapsed. This mean that until the government shutdown is over: No new flood insurance policies can be purchased No new renewal bills can be issued If you have a policy in place, you will see no changes and claims will be paid as usual Refer to our consumer guidance HERE. Please contact us for more specific questions

As of the writing of this message, Congress has not yet extended the National Flood Insurance Program, which expires at midnight on Friday, January 19th. The NFIP continues to be ties to the Congressional Budget. If there is a government shutdown, the NFIP also shuts down. This will continue to be an issue as Congress intends to only pass short term extensions for the foreseeable future. FEMA has issued guidance for insurance companies on how to handle writing new flood policies, policy renewals, and claims during a flood program expiration. The MCCC has created consumer guidance for you as an insured to know what to do before, during and after a flood program expiration. Overall, our guidance outlines that: -If you have a flood policy renewing after January 19th , and within the next few weeks, PAY IT NOW -If you are planning to close on a home after January 19th , PAY FOR THE POLICY NOW. If paid before the program expires, the policy will still go effective on the closing during a program expiration. -If your policy is in force before the program expires, and you experience a claim, your claim will be handled as usual. . You can download the full guidance HERE

DEVESTATING FLOODING On January 4th, 2018, areas of the South Shore of Massachusetts saw some of the worst flooding since 1978. A high tide at 12:30PM, plus a king tide (2 extra feet of tide) plus an additional 3 feet of surge made for a historic event. This event will show how our communities are vulnerable, but also resilient. In the 40 years since the blizzard of 1978, our local communities have worked hard to rebuild seawalls, elevate homes, and take the necessary precautions to prevent large events like this from becoming devastating. IF YOU HAVE STORM PHOTOS, PLEASE EMAIL THEM TO US. We will not share them without your permission, but it is important to catalog this event CLAIMS GUIDENCE The MCCC has developed some general claims guidance if you are filing a flood insurance claim. The guidance is general, but has links to official FEMA documentation. Please use this to get started if you are filing a NFIP flood insurance claim. Download the claims guidance HERE. MEDIA Over the next several days, the MCCC will be in the media, both on TV, radio and newspaper. Stay tuned, as our next battle will be the expiration of the NFIP on […]

NFIP EXTENDED FOR 4 WEEKS On Friday, Congress extended the National Flood Insurance Program for 4 weeks until January 19th, 2018. Like before, this relieves the urgency of a program lapse, and we still urge you to be vigilant. Pay premiums on time and purchase flood insurance sooner rather than later. There is word that Congress may consider and pass a long term reauthorization with some reforms before January 19th. We will continue to monitor the situation and update you in January. We wish you the happiest of holidays an look forward to a productive 2018.

NFIP SET TO EXPIRE FRIDAY As of the writing of this message, Congress has not yet extended the National Flood Insurance Program, which expires at midnight on Friday, December 22nd. This will continue to be an issue as Congress intends to only pass short term extensions for the foreseeable future. Last week, FEMA issued guidance for insurance companies on how to handle writing new flood policies, policy renewals, and claims during a flood program expiration. The MCCC has created consumer guidance for you as an insured to know what to do before, during and after a flood program expiration. Overall, our guidance outlines that: If you have a flood policy renewing after December 22nd, and within the next few weeks, PAY IT NOW If you are planning to close on a home after December 22nd, PAY FOR THE POLICY NOW. If paid before the program expires, the policy will still go effective on the closing during a program expiration. If your policy is in force before the program expires, and you experience a claim, your claim will be handled as usual. You can download the full guidance HERE READ THIS WEEKS COASTAL CONNECTION In this months Coastal Connection, Chair Joe Rossi talks about the need for certainty in the NFIP: […]

NFIP EXTENDED FOR 2 WEEKS Yesterday, Congress extended the National Flood Insurance Program for 2 weeks until December 22nd, 2017. While this may temporarily relieve the urgency of a program lapse, we still urge you to be vigilant and follow these recommendations: If your flood insurance policy is due for renewal in the next 45 days, renew the policy as soon as possible If you are closing on a house after December 22nd, consider paying the flood policy now or move the closing before December 22nd Consult your insurance agent and lender for your own specific situation We will continue to keep you informed as we approach the next deadline. We are advocating Congress for a long term reauthorization of the NFIP.

MESSAGE ON POSSIBLE NFIP EXPIRATION At the end of the day on Friday, December 8th, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) expires. The extension of the program is built into the Congressional Continuing Resolution, which has yet to be passed. If the Continuing Resolution is not passed by Friday night, December 8th, the NFIP will expire. This means no new policies can be written, existing policies can not be renewed on their renewal, no claims can be filed and it may become difficult to close on a home during this time. FEMA has also indicated they may not do a “look back” once the program becomes effective again, meaning forced place lender insurance may be required to cover the gap. We suggest several actions for you at this point: If you are closing in the next few weeks, and flood insurance is part of your closing, pay your flood insurance policy now (before the end of the day Friday) before the closing, with the effective date of the policy still being on the closing. If you are coming up for a renewal in the next few weeks, pay your premium now. If you do close on a home during this time without getting […]

Hazard Mitigation Public Meeting The Town of Marshfield will be having a public Hazard Mitigation Plan meeting on December 6th from 6pm to 8pm at the Ventress Library Program Room. This meeting will discuss the draft hazard mitigation plan, with discussion and comments. There will be a presentation about the town progress to date, including the results of the online survey. Hull Successful in Map Revision Due to a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) submitted by the Town of Hull, flood maps for the town are changing. This change will be effective December 13th. If you are a resident of Hull, the LOMR will have one of three effects on you: No effect- you either remain in or out of the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) You are removed from being in the SFHA Your flood elevation is lowered To find out how this LOMR will affect you, you can download the LOMR HERE (NOTE: this is a very large file) We will be participating in an informational meeting in Hull in the spring. Individual insurance questions should be referred to your insurance agent. Legislative Update The National Flood Insurance Program expires on December 8th. Congress is discussing a short term extension to […]

ATTENTION MARSHFIELD, SCITUATE AND DUXBURY RESIDENTS Were you newly mapped into a flood zone in last years map revision? Have you purchased insurance yet? Not sure if you were newly mapped? NOVEMBER 3rd 2017 is the LAST day you can purchase the newly mapped flood insurance policy! If you were newly mapped from the “X” zone (not in a flood zone) then were moved into a flood zone in the November 2016 flood map change, this is important to you! If you do not buy a flood insurance policy by November 3rd, 2017, you will NOT be grandfathered. Newly mapped rates go up at 15% a year, but not getting this policy will subject you to higher rates immediately. Confused? Download our PRP Timeline document HERE or email us any time! MAJOR CHANGES TO THE NFIP IN 2018 (non-legislative) Every October, FEMA publishes their major changes to the NFIP for April 1st. This includes average rate increases for April 1st. Here are two of the major changes of 2018: The average policy will increase 8% For a full list of average increase, download our April 1st increase memo HERE FEMA will allow a policyholder and policyholder’s spouse to have more […]

There is no doubt that Hurricane Jose will impact our area. As of right now, the storm is a Hurricane. And while experts believe the storm will impact us as a tropical storm, the facts remain that our impacts could be: High winds (60mph+) 1-6 Inches of rain Coastal erosion and flooding Power outages Downed trees Storm impacts Tuesday into Wednesday On our website is our hurricane guide. We encourage you to download this guide and be prepared. Download it HERE Before the storm, you should also photograph and document your building and contents pre-loss for insurance reasons. While we have exciting flood news to share, we will continue to monitor this storm as it is our priority for now.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those deeply affected by Hurricane Harvey. As reports come in, we have seen an endless amount of destruction in the greater Houston area. Over 10 trillion gallons of rain have fallen, and early estimates put total damage around $40 Billion. We encourage our members to help in some way. For those individuals in the Houston area that need assistance, they should IMMEDIATELY call FEMA for an application to begin the disaster assistance process. That number is 1-800-621-3362. Many of our constituents have reached out concerned about the National Flood Insurance Programs (NFIP) future, and how Harvey may impact our particular area. Our concern over the coming weeks and months is the repeated talk about the insolvency and what the true need for a Federal insurance program is. The tragic events of Harvey reaffirm our goals to make the NFIP program affordable and sustainable. The NFIP is one of the nation’s greatest land use and insurance tools, and the MCCC will support a full reauthorization of the program. We will continue to monitor the situation, and update our membership as events unfold. If you have questions, concerns, or want to talk […]

SENATOR WARREN IN MARSHFIELD Senator Elizabeth Warren will be holding a town hall meeting in Marshfield this Thursday, August 24th at 5:30pm at Furnace Brook Middle School in Marshfield. Senator Warren is co-sponsoring the NFIP Safe Act, which is currently one of several proposed pieces of NFIP legislation. This legislation makes several positive changes to the program: Lowers maximum increase per policy from 18% annually to 10% annually Appropriates $1Billion towards grant programs to help fix problem buildings fund more accurate mapping of the entire country. Remember, the NFIP expires on September 30th! We do not expect the program to expire. Congress is discussing a short term extension of the program. We would encourage you to attend this town hall to continue the discussion of a fully reauthorized NFIP! UPCOMING MEETINGS August 29th: The Town of Marshfield will begin its Hazard Mitigation Plan with the first public information meeting at 6:00 PM at the Ventress Memorial Library’s New Program Room. The Hazard Mitigation Plan is vital to the community for hazard planning and Community Rating Service (CRS) credits.

CONFERENCE ROUND UP This past week, MCCC Chair Joe Rossi spoke in front of 200 flood experts and FEMA leadership on how we will achieve the FEMA goal of doubling the amount of flood policies (both NFIP and Private) by 2023. He addressed the MCCC policy holder survey and input from our associated stakeholders. Because of this, FEMA invited Joe to participate and work with FEMA in Washington, DC on a FEMA task force to understand how to improve the consumer experience with flood insurance. This is a great opportunity, especially for those policy holders that want and need change in the interaction with their flood product. UPCOMING MEETINGS August 15th: The Marshfield and Scituate Coastal Coalitions are having a flood insurance legislative update at 7:30pm at the Community Room at the Scituate Library on Branch Street. The update will follow a Scituate Selectman’s candidate forum from 6:30pm-7:30pm. August 29th: The Town of Marshfield will begin its Hazard Mitigation Plan with the first public information meeting at 6:00 PM at the Ventress Memorial Library’s New Program Room. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE With multiple competing bills in both the US House and US Senate, no agreement was met or votes taken on any […]

CHAIR JOE ROSSI ASKED TO SPEAK AT FLOOD CONFERNECE Next week, the week of July 17th, MCCC Chair Joe Rossi will be speaking at the Torrent flood conference in Kalispell, MT. Joe was asked to speak on how FEMA will achieve their goal of doubling the amount of flood insurance policies (both within the NFIP and in private programs) by 2023. In attendance will be FEMA leadership, who has already engaged the Coalition on their thoughts on achieving this goal.This month’s Coastal Connection in the Marshfield Mariner focuses on the 2017 reauthorization of the NFIP! Your voice can be heard! Joe plans on using the study being done by the MCCC to support his comments. Participate in this study by following the attached link and filling out the brief survey TAKE OUR SURVEY HERE READ THIS MONTH COASTAL CONNECTION Check out this months Coastal Connection in this week Marshfield Mariner. This month, we talk about proposed NFIP legislation: “Right now, the focus on reauthorization has been on the US House of Representatives, where recently seven bills have moved out of committee and could come to a full vote of the US House the week after the fourth of July. The bills that […]

Celebrate 5 years of the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition! This year, the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition is turning 5 years old! Your tucket includes a buffet dinner and an exclusive legislative update from invited State and Federal legislative offices. Fun, Food, Information and Silent Auction Items. Attend to learn more and support the MCCC WHEN: Wednesday, May 17th, 2017 WHERE: Marshfield Country Club- 515 Moraine St, Marshfied, MA 02050 Doors open at 6:00pm, buffet dinner at 7:00pm Limited door sales of tickets! BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE There has been a recent flurry of legislative activity in both the House and Senate in regards to the National Flood Insurance Program reauthorization. The U.S. Senate has introduced the Cassidy-Gillibrand bill, and the U.S. House has introduced the 21st Century Flood Reform draft legislation. At our 5th year anniversary event tomorrow, we will be discussing both pieces of legislation. We will be releasing a comparison sheet of both pieces of legislation and updating you with a comprehensive update later this week. You can view both pieces of legislation HERE

TOWN MEETING TONIGHT Marshfield Town Meeting starts Monday, April 24th at 7:00pm at the Marshfield High School. This Town Meeting, we are focused on Article 16 of the Annual Town Meeting warrant. The article reads: “Will the Town vote to raise and appropriate or transfer the sum of $35,000 for an updated Hazard Mitigation Plan as required by FEMA, or take any other action relative thereto.” FEMA requires our community to have a Hazard Mitigation Plan in place to receive certain types of grant money, for example the Federal Mitigation Assistance grant and gives better credits to the Community Rating System program which helps reduce premiums. This plan is required to be updated every 5 years and takes roughly 2 years to update. Marshfield’s plan is due to expire in April of 2018

Celebrate 5 years of the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition! This year, the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition is turning 5 years old! From our modest beginnings in 2012, we have become a nationally recognized group that now serves all of eastern Mass. From community presentations, to our Flood Insurance Summit, to keeping residents informed! We are so excited to be stronger than ever and able to continue to serve our communities up and down the coast. A major part of the agenda will be a legislative update from invited State and Federal legislative offices. WHEN: Wednesday, May 17th, 2017 WHERE: Marshfield Country Club- 515 Moraine St, Marshfied, MA 02050 Doors open at 6:00pm, buffet dinner at 7:00pm We are selling a table of 10 seats for $500, and individual tickets for $50 a piece. THIS EVENT WILL SELL OUT FAST! BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE We hope to see you there!!

STORM INFORMATION The Nor’easter that is arriving in the early AM will be a COASTAL EVENT. From the National Weather Service: “Snow begins between 5 and 7 am Tuesday morning. Snow could change to sleet but will then change to rain during the afternoon. WINDS…Northeast 20 to 35 mph with gusts up to 55 mph. COASTAL FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 3 PM EDT TUESDAY… A STORM SURGE OF AROUND 3 FEET IS LIKELY DURING THE EARLY TUESDAY AFTERNOON HIGH TIDE CYCLE. COASTAL FLOOD IMPACTS…WIDESPREAD MINOR WITH AREAS OF MODERATE COASTAL FLOODING ARE LIKELY. SOME OVERWASH IS LIKELY FROM LARGE WAVES ALONG THE OCEAN EXPOSED SHORELINE INCLUDING THE HULL…SCITUATE AND MARSHFIELD AREAS. MODERATE TO SEVERE EROSION IS LIKELY FROM THE WAVE ACTION ALONG OCEAN EXPOSED SHORELINES” The tide of most concern will be the Tuesday afternoon tide with 12.6-13.1 ft tide with 6- 17 foot waves. PLEASE be prepared for this event, as this will be the most significant event so far this winter. WE NEED YOU! We are continuing our fundraising push! WE ARE 1/4 OF THE WAY THERE!! Thank you SO MUCH to those that have contributed so far! […]

At 5 years old, we are only beginning to serve you! Part of our continued growth involves contributions from our membership. We have recently gone through a comprehensive list of goals and objectives that will take the MCCC through the year 2017 and beyond. Our goal and all of our objectives are to better serve YOU! Our goal for this year is: To ensure that residents, professionals, and all NFIP stakeholders continue to get comprehensive and correct information, training and are provided a voice on local, state and federal coastal issues. 2017 will be a critical year not just for flood reform, but for ongoing mapping changes as well. IT WILL ALL AFFECT YOU! In order to achieve this goal, WE NEED YOUR HELP! We have launched a go fund me page with a goal of $2000. Why this much? On our websites donation page, we have a short video explaining why we need your help in 2017. Things like printing costs, mailing, and training to better help the community we serve. Any amount will help, and we truly thank all of you in advance. WE CAN’T DO THIS WITHOUT YOU! CLICK HERE TO CONTRIBUTE TODAY! (you will be taken to […]

Meeting Reminder As a reminder: On February 7th, 2017 at 6:00pm at Furnace Brook Middle School Auditorium in Marshfield, FEMA staff from both Region 1 Boston and from FEMA Headquarters in Washington D.C. will be holding a meeting to answer questions on flood insurance and more. Below is from the Town: “The primary purpose of the public meeting is to provide a short presentation by FEMA on Flood Insurance Policies and steps policy holders can take now, as well as to answer questions about Flood Insurance. There will also be a short summary on the mapping process, followed by a Flood Insurance Policy Question and Answer session.” Download the official press release HERE We are turning 5! 5 YEARS OF SERVING YOU! On February 2nd, the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition turned 5 years old! We want to thank all of you who have made this journey possible! We are planning a 5th year anniversary gala for later in 2017! Welcome! To our new member It’s a pleasure to introduce the newest member of the MCCC executive board, Tim Williams. Tim Williams has been in the insurance industry for over 20 years and is a Personal Insurance Consultant at Rogers & Gray Insurance. Rogers & […]

IMPORTANT MEETING NOTICE On February 7th, 2017 at 6:00pm at Furnace Brook Middle School Auditorium in Marshfield, FEMA staff from both Region 1 Boston and from FEMA Headquarters in Washington D.C. will be holding a meeting to answer questions on flood insurance and more. Below is from the Town: “The primary purpose of the public meeting is to provide a short presentation by FEMA on Flood Insurance Policies and steps policy holders can take now, as well as to answer questions about Flood Insurance. There will also be a short summary on the mapping process, followed by a Flood Insurance Policy Question and Answer session.” PLEASE NOTE: In cooperation with the Towns ahead of this meeting, we are assisting in gathering questions for FEMA. Please email us your questions by sending them by email at info@marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org or using our online form here: http://www.marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org/?page_id=245 PLEASE remember that while there are many frustrations about the National Flood Insurance Program, mapping, and other issues, we are hoping to gather constructive questions to utilize the time FEMA is there appropriately. Please let us know if you have any questions. Download the official press release here: http://www.marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org/?page_id=8

Below are several important updates: After the Map Approval: Letters from lenders This week, MCCC Chair Joe Rossi will have his monthly column in the Marshfield Mariner. The column covers the need to pay attention to the letters from your lender requiring flood coverage if you are newly mapped. Those that receive these letters requiring flood coverage have 45 days to purchase NFIP flood insurance, or your lender will force place insurance on you. It is highly recommended that you purchase a NFIP policy before you are forced placed. In many cases, the forced placed insurance is a private policy and can be many times more expensive than a NFIP policy. Because there are no federal regulations yet on private forced placed flood insurance and how it should interact with the NFIP insurance, you may not be able to purchase a NFIP policy then cancel the forced placed policy. This could create a hardship for the policy term. It’s important to understand that forced placed insurance is obtained by the lender in the interest of the lender and not the homeowner. NFIP Newly mapped policies start at under $200. This policy is not available to those that become forced placed […]

On Monday, October 24th, 2016, Marshfield Town Meeting voted in favor of the flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs), adopting them. As a reminder, the effective date of the new FIRMs is November 4th. This is the date most insurance decisions should be made by. We are here to help if needed! This is only the beginning of a busy year. We will now be following the appeal the Town of Marshfield, Scituate and Duxbury is filing on the FIRMs. The National Flood Insurance Program will also be re-authorized in 2017, and we will be active in the legislative process. Thank you again for your support. We would not be here without you!

MAP ADOPTION: Town meeting MONDAY! Monday, October 24th is Marshfield Special Town Meeting at 7:00pm at Marshfield High School. This is the meeting in which the Marshfield flood maps will be voted on (Article 5). The Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition has voted unanimously in support of a YES vote in favor of adopting the Flood Insurance Rate Maps We have outlined below what a YES or NO vote means on the flood map adoption, which is Article 5 at Special Town Meeting: A YES VOTE: National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Flood Insurance would continue to be available (available since 1974 in Marshfield) The consultants Marshfield has hired to review the flood maps will be able to continue their work and further refine the maps Lenders will be able to continue to lend and make loans in flood hazard areas A NO VOTE: Property owners will be unable to purchase NFIP flood insurance policies and existing policies will be non-renewed (loss of grandfathering, loss of pre-FIRM rates, etc.) Federal disaster assistance will not be available to buildings damaged by floods that are located in a flood hazard area Federally insured or regulated lenders, such as banks and […]

Below is a reminder of important dates for the Flood Insurance Rate Map adoption: OCTOBER 19th: Scituate Special Town Meeting, Scituate High School Gymnasium at 7:00PM. The town meeting where citizens will be asked to adopt the Flood Insurance Rate Maps for the Town of Scituate. In Scituate, this reuqires a majority vote to pass. OCTOBER 24th: Marshfield Special Town Meeting, Marshfield High School Auditorium at 7:00PM. The town meeting where citizens will be asked to adopt the Flood Insurance Rate Maps for the Town of Marshfield. In Marshfield, this requires a 2/3 vote to pass. NOVEMBER 4th : The FIRM effective date. The date most flood insurance related decisions must be made by. In this past weeks Marshfield Mariner, our monthly column outlined some items to keep in mind on these important dates and meetings: For those newly mapped into a special flood hazard area (the V or A zone) for the first time under the new FIRMs, a Preferred Risk Policy (PRP) should be purchased before the November 4th map effective date. Purchasing the PRP before the map effective date will give those insured’s 2 years of the low rates versus 1 year […]

TIMELINE AND MEETING UPDATE Below is an updated timeline developed by the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition. This includes all meeting dates and insurance deadlines. These are all important dates, and encourage everyone to attend the meetings and pay attention to their own individual situations. SEPTEMBER 29th: Selectmen informational meeting with the Woods Hole Group, on the Letter of Map Revision process. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 29 at Furnace Brook Middle School. OCTOBER 24th : The date of Marshfield Special Town Meeting. This meeting will be where the town citizens will be asked to adopt the FIRMs by a vote of 2/3. A yes vote will adopt the new FIRMs. A no vote would reject the new FIRMs NOVEMBER 4th : The date most flood insurance related decisions must be made by. NOTE: Flood Insurance, unless done for a loan closing or a rollover, has a 30 day waiting period to go into effect. Flood insurance policies will be considered grandfathered as long as the INSURANCE COMPANY acknowledges receipt of payment as of 11:59PM November 3rd. HOWEVER, due to the 30 day waiting period, your LENDER may still ask for flood insurance. This […]

Marshfield Coastal Coalition UPDATE We want to thank the over 100 people that attended our mapping and insurance outreach on August 18th. We had land surveyors, insurance experts, and Representative Jim Cantwell all in attendance to help guide residence in both mapping and insurance issues. Our insurance presentation was comprehensive in content and there was a lot to take in. Our presentation, in full, is on our website for download here under presentations: http://www.marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org/?page_id=329 After our presentation, we wanted to reiterate some important dates leading up to the Flood Insurance Rate Map effective date: SEPTEMBER 12th: September 12, 2016, the Marshfield Planning Board will be hosting a meeting to discuss the FIRMS. This is a regular meeting as the FIRMs are a zoning issue. The meeting will be at Marshfield High School auditorium at 7:30pm. OCTOBER 24th: Marshfield Special Town Meeting. As previously mentioned, the FIRMs will require a 2/3 vote at this meeting to be approved and become effective. Our draft document on the discussion of the FIRMs and ramifications of not adopting them are available here under download #6: http://www.marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org/?page_id=329 NOVEMBER 4th: The Flood Insurance Rate Map effective date. This is the […]

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition to hold map reading and insurance presentation Outreach will include a map reading, insurance presentation, and experts to answer flood questions The Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition will hold a map reading and insurance presentation. Marshfield computer and paper flood maps will be available for individuals to find their current and future flood zone. Experts including land surveyors will be on hand to assist. There will also be a presentation on insurance issues and changes. Insurance issues will affect those in all communities, and we encourage participation from other communities. There will be two sessions on August 18th, 2016 at St. Anns Parish Hall, 591 Ocean St, Marshfield MA. Below is the schedule for those to attend: · Session 1: 5:00pm-6:30pm o Areas of Marshfield to attend: Rexhame, Kent Park, Webster St. area, Marshfield Center · Session 2: 7:00pm-8:30pm o Areas of Marshfield to attend: Green Harbor, Brant Rock, all other areas of Marshfield, non-Marshfield residents Highlights include: · Professionals to help find what flood zone you are or will be in · Information on LOMAs, Insurance, Elevation Certificates, and more · Presentations on changes to the flood insurance program […]

Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition Chair, Joe Rossi PO Box 442 Marshfield, MA 02050 www.marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition develops comprehensive outreach plan in anticipation of flood map vote in October Plan to include map readings, mailings, and more in order to inform residents on map changes The Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition has announced that it has finalized a comprehensive outreach plan in order to inform residents of map changes, the results if maps are or are not voted in at the October Special Town Meeting, and have residents better understand their own individual situations and best insurance options. A timeline of events has been developed and will include in no particular order: Listening sessions for those for and opposed to the FEMA flood maps- For input, please call 781-635-5152 or email your comments at info@marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org We are looking for community wide input and participation At least one map meeting for residents to find their structures on the flood map A mailing to inform residents of the implications of voting for or against maps Door to door campaign to encourage attendance at the October Special Town Meeting The Marshfield Citizens […]

Once again, the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition (MCCC) would like to thank those who attended and supported our Flood Insurance Summit this past April. Based on attendance, discussion with attendees and the attendee evaluations, the Flood Insurance Summit was an overwhelming success, with over 400 attendees spanning two days and CE credits offered for insurance agents. The NFIP, in its current state, is a very complicated program and all insurance professionals (insurance and real estate agents, brokers, underwriters, etc.) need a better understanding of the rules in order to know how to assist their clients. Collectively, we all need to work together to improve the program as we develop our message for the NFIP reform. The attendance of homeowners, professionals and leaders in each stakeholder industry provided a great environment for an in depth discussion on many levels of the NFIP and flood insurance. We intend to have many follow up discussions over the course of this year on the items that were discussed. To take our Summit survey: http://www.massachusettscoastalcoalition.org/?page_id=223 To download the presentations from the Summit: http://www.carolinafloodsolutions.com/resources/ To see pictures from the Summit: http://www.massachusettscoastalcoalition.org/?page_id=223 COMMUNITIES RECEIVE LETTER OF FINAL DETERMINATION Marshfield, Scituate, and Duxbury received […]

THANK YOU! We would like to first take a moment to thank everyone who attended or showed interest in the Massachusetts Coastal Coalition 2016 Flood Insurance Summit! Our two day, three session event was attended by almost 400 people, and brought much needed attention, education and interest to our local area and flooding issues. A few things to close out our Summit! EMAILS If you attended the Summit: You have been automatically added to our email list and can unsubscribe at any time If you did not attend the Summit: To remain in contact with the Massachusetts Coastal Coalition through our affiliate members, please sign up to our email list HERE FEEDBACK Sometimes it can be difficult to tailor a large conference to individual needs. We realize there was some information that was very helpful and descriptive, and some that was not as comprehensive as our audience would have liked. We realize there were some things that worked and went well, and some things that did not go exactly according to plan. Some feedback we received and would like to address and things we will work hard to improve going forward: -While the Summit may have been a little commercialized, […]

THANK YOU! We would like to first take a moment to thank everyone who attended or showed interest in the Massachusetts Coastal Coalition 2016 Flood Insurance Summit! Our two day, three session event was attended by almost 400 people, and brought much needed attention, education and interest to our local area and flooding issues. A few things to close out our Summit! EMAILS If you attended the Summit: You have been automatically added to our email list and can unsubscribe at any time If you did not attend the Summit: To remain in contact with the Massachusetts Coastal Coalition through our affiliate members, please sign up to our email list HERE FEEDBACK Sometimes it can be difficult to tailor a large conference to individual needs. We realize there was some information that was very helpful and descriptive, and some that was not as comprehensive as our audience would have liked. We realize there were some things that worked and went well, and some things that did not go exactly according to plan. Some feedback we received and would like to address and things we will work hard to improve going forward: -While the Summit may have been a little commercialized, […]

FLOOD INSURANCE SUMMIT TOMORROW NATIONAL EXPERTS, VENDORS AND MORE TO HELP YOU Pre Registration will be open until Midnight April 4th Click HERE to register now! If you dont register before hand? NO PROBLEM! Register at the door! Remember: THE SUMMIT IS FREE TO ALL! Also: If you registered for one session, you may attend both- no need to re-register You Need To Attend if you are: Lender, realtor, insurer, small business owner, home builder, land surveyor, engineer, Architect, local official, homeowner, policyholder, or just interested in the information and want to know more! The Summit will happen rain, snow, or shine! IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THOSE ATTENDING This is the last email update for the Flood Insurance Summit! We want to thank those that have pre-registered, and we encourage you spread the word as registration will be available at the door! Below are important updates for all those attending: PARKING There is parking at the front of the High School and the rear of the Furnace Brook Middle School (adjacent to the High School). START TIME The entrance to the Auditorium is behind the ram statue at the front of the High School. For the Professional Session: The doors to […]

FLOOD INSURANCE SUMMIT TOMORROW NATIONAL EXPERTS, VENDORS AND MORE TO HELP YOU Pre Registration will be open until Midnight April 4th Click HERE to register now! If you dont register before hand? NO PROBLEM! Register at the door! Remember: THE SUMMIT IS FREE TO ALL! Also: If you registered for one session, you may attend both- no need to re-register You Need To Attend if you are: Lender, realtor, insurer, small business owner, home builder, land surveyor, engineer, Architect, local official, homeowner, policyholder, or just interested in the information and want to know more! The Summit will happen rain, snow, or shine! IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THOSE ATTENDING This is the last email update for the Flood Insurance Summit! We want to thank those that have pre-registered, and we encourage you spread the word as registration will be available at the door! Below are important updates for all those attending: PARKING There is parking at the front of the High School and the rear of the Furnace Brook Middle School (adjacent to the High School). START TIME The entrance to the Auditorium is behind the ram statue at the front of the High School. For the Professional Session: The doors to […]

ONE WEEK UNTIL THE FLOOD INSURANCE SUMMIT NATIONAL EXPERTS, VENDORS AND MORE TO HELP YOU LESS THAN 6 DAYS UNTIL THE SUMMIT Over 400 Registered! Or register at the door! WE NEED YOUR HELP! Spread the word through social media, email, word of mouth and more! We have room for over 800 per session! You Need To Attend if you are: Lender, banker, realtor, insurer, land surveyor, engineer, designer, local official, homeowner, policy holder, or just interested in the information being presented, DONT MISS THIS CANT MISS OPPORTUNITY to meet experts locally and from across the country to get your questions answered! Highlights of the Summit: The Summit is FREE Professional Session with 4 Continuing Education Units for Insurance Producers Register now HERE or at the door Interactive Flood Expert Panel at each session Learn how to lower premiums! Media Spotlight: Look for the Summit in the media: Patriot Ledger- This past Mondays paper!- Read the article HERE Marshfield Mariner- Todays paper! Boston Globe- This Weeekends paper! Summit Updates: We are proud to announce our current line up of guest speakers, coming to Massachusetts from all over the nation! Featured presenter, Lisa Jones– CFM, CPM, ANFI: Flood insurance expert from Carolina Flood Solutions with […]

Flood Summit: April 5th, Marshfield High School Auditorium 167 Forest St, Marshfield, MA Professional Session: 2:45pm-6:15pm Homeowner Session: 7:00pm-9:30pm WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND THE FLOOD INSURANCE SUMMIT NATIONAL EXPERTS, VENDORS AND MORE TO HELP YOU LESS THAN 10 DAYS UNTIL THE SUMMIT Over 400 Registered! Click HERE to register now! Key Reasons To Attend: The Summit is FREE Professional Session with 4 Continuing Education Units for Insurance Producers Even if you don’t want to come for our sessions, get property specific questions answered by our vendors during the entire Summit Register now HERE or at the door Interactive Flood Expert Panel at each session Feel free to attend both sessions! (Register for one. If you pre registered, no need to register again) And most important…. LEARN HOW TO LOWER FLOOD INSURANCE PREMIUMS Summit Updates: We are proud to announce our current line up of guest speakers, coming to Massachusetts from all over the nation! Featured presenter, Lisa Jones- CFM, CPM, ANFI: Flood insurance expert from Carolina Flood Solutions with 30 years of experience at all levels of the NFIP. Lisa has sat on numerous federal and state task force panels, has testified to Congress on flood insurance, among other accomplishments […]

Massachusetts Coastal Coalition Massachusetts Coastal Coalition Coordinator, Joe Rossi PO Box 442 Marshfield, MA 02050 www.massachusettscoastalcoalition.org PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release National And Local Flood Experts to Answer Questions At Flood Insurance Summit Federal, State and local officials and national experts will educate and answer flood insurance questions to attendees- Now with over 400 registered to attend! The Massachusetts Coastal Coalition presents The 2016 Flood Insurance Summit on April 5th at Marshfield High School Auditorium, Marshfield, MA. The Summit is a series of free sessions with information and interactive discussion aimed to educate, inform, and discuss flood insurance and other issues affecting NFIP stakeholders by gathering national and state experts to present, clarify and interact with our community. This Summit offers two free session for professionals, such as bankers, realtors, insurers, land surveyors, local government and more, and homeowners. Topics covered range from how to reduce premiums, mitigation opportunities and expert flood panels. The professional session now offers Insurance Producers 4 Continuing Education units for attending. Expert Panel Lineup Featured presenter, Lisa Jones- CFM, CPM, ANFI: Flood insurance expert from Carolina Flood Solutions with 30 years of experience at all levels of the NFIP. […]

Flood Summit: April 5th, Marshfield High School Auditorium 167 Forest St, Marshfield, MA Professional Session: 2:45pm-6:15pm Homeowner Session: 7:00pm-9:30pm WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND THE FLOOD INSURANCE SUMMIT NATIONAL EXPERTS, VENDORS AND MORE TO HELP YOU LESS THAN 10 DAYS UNTIL THE SUMMIT Over 400 Registered! Click HERE to register now! Key Reasons To Attend: The Summit is FREE Professional Session with 4 Continuing Education Units for Insurance Producers Even if you don’t want to come for our sessions, get property specific questions answered by our vendors during the entire Summit Register now HERE or at the door Interactive Flood Expert Panel at each session Feel free to attend both sessions! (Register for one. If you pre registered, no need to register again) And most important…. LEARN HOW TO LOWER FLOOD INSURANCE PREMIUMS Summit Updates: We are proud to announce our current line up of guest speakers, coming to Massachusetts from all over the nation! Featured presenter, Lisa Jones- CFM, CPM, ANFI: Flood insurance expert from Carolina Flood Solutions with 30 years of experience at all levels of the NFIP. Lisa has sat on numerous federal and state task force panels, has testified to Congress on flood insurance, among other […]

NATIONAL EXPERTS, VENDORS AND MORE TO HELP YOU LESS THAN 20 DAYS UNTIL THE SUMMIT Over 400 Registered! Click HERE to register now! Major Updates: The professional session is now certified with 4 Continuing Education units for insurance producers who attend! While we appreciate registration, we will now accept registration AT THE DOOR. However, please register as it will help us check people in We are proud to announce our current line up of guest speakers, coming to Massachusetts from all over the nation! Featured presenter, Lisa Jones– CFM, CPM, ANFI: Flood insurance expert from Carolina Flood Solutions with 30 years of experience at all levels of the NFIP. Lisa has sat on numerous federal and state task force panels, has testified to Congress on flood insurance, among other accomplishments and qualifications. Expert Panelists: Noel Bunol- National Flood Manager, National General Insurance Phil Wills- Senior Vice President, Client Relations at Torrent Technologies Mark Condodemetraky- President, G. C. Engineering Rep. Jim Cantwell with a State and Federal legislative update More experts coming in next weeks update! Vendors there to help YOU! Our list of current vendor is growing every week! While property specific questions may not be able to be […]

A cant miss event with national leaders and experts in flood issues to educate and answer questions Registration is now open for the Flood Insurance Summit 2016! The Massachusetts Coastal Coalition, along with our partners and sponsors, present The 2016 Flood Insurance Summit. The Summit is a series of free sessions with information and interactive discussion aimed to educate, inform, and discuss flood insurance and other issues affecting NFIP stakeholders by gathering national and state experts to present, clarify and interact with our community. This Summit will be both educational and interactive as attendees can learn and ask questions. The Flood Insurance Summit is intended for both professionals and homeowners with the goal of reaching a broad base with two separate yet equally informative sessions geared to educate and involve each audience with experts in flood issues. The Session Schedule is as follows: Tuesday, April 5th, Marshfield High School Auditorium- 167 Forrest St., Marshfield, MA 02050 Session 1- Professional Session- 2:45pm-6:15pm A session for professionals who work with flood issues everyday! Key issues discussed: Insurance Rating, CRS, Mitigation options that reduce premiums, State Flood Coordinator Update, State Mitigation Program Update, Flood Advocate Update, NFIP Reform Status and […]

Below are two important dates for map viewings: This coming Thursday night: December 3rd at Furnace Brook School in Marshfield (500 Furnace Street, Marshfield.) 5 PM to 9PM The Town of Marshfield is hosting a flood map viewing. Citizens can come and view the FIRMs from 5PM to 9 PM. In addition at 7PM there will be a presentation about these new maps by Leslie Fields from the Woods Hole Group, which is the consultant who submitted one of the two appeals for the 2013 proposed flood maps. Second Meeting: January 7th, St. Anns Parish Hall (591 Ocean St, Marshfield, MA 02050) The Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition will be holding a map viewing and flood insurance presentation. We have divided the presentations into two segments to accommodate the flow of people: 5:00-6:30pm– Presentation 1: Rexhame, Kent Park, Webster St. area, Marshfield Center 7:00-8:30pm– Presentation 2: Green Harbor, Brant Rock, all other areas of Marshfield, non-Marshfield residents (Snow date of January 21st) We will have professionals available to review the maps, help find your flood zone, and information on insurance.

Marshfield Coastal Coalition Update: On November 6th, 2015, new FIRMs (flood Insurance Rate Maps) were issued for Marshfield, Scituate and Duxbury. These maps are the result of the work of the consultants hired by the three towns to improve accuracy of the maps. Currently, there are several ways to view the new FIRMs. Through FEMA websites, the Town of Marshfield website, and the MCCC website. We have a page dedicated to the new FIRMs on our website with a direct link on our website homepage. Marshfield GIS: http://www.mapsonline.net/ peopleforms/mo4/index.php? site_id=1474 MCCC PDF Maps: http://www. marshfieldcoastalcoalition. org/?page_id=119 In the coming weeks, there will be meetings by the Town of Marshfield about the maps, followed in January with a flood map reading by the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition. Please pay attention as there will be a lot of information to come. While we are in a 30 day comment period, this does not affect the availability of low rate policies for those entering the flood zone for the first time. The Preferred Risk Policy for those structures can be purchased up until the FIRM effective date, which right now is estimated to be in June/July 2016.

MCCC Presenting in Hull The Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition will be part of a flood presentation to the Town of Hull this Monday. The official press release of the event, sponsored and hosted by the Hull Redevelopment Authority, is below: Drowning in Flood Insurance? Just a reminder that the HRA will be conducting a Flood Seminar next Monday night August 24th at the Hull High School second floor exhibition room starting at 7:00PM and ending at 9:30. This meeting will be very informative and will include presentations from Anne Herbst of the Conservation Commission, Bartley Kelly of the building department and the Marshfield Coastal Coalition which has been very active in flood insurance related issues on the south shore and throughout the state. This meeting will be extremely helpful for any home owner (full year or summer) who is paying flood insurance. New tool on our website As we are always trying to help you understand your risk, we have a new tool on the homepage of our website! Created by Flood Smart, the marketing end of the NFIP, you can get an estimate of damages caused by floods at different levels of water height! Try it out […]

What Happened: There was one Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) appeal and one additional sets of data submitted by the Towns of Marshfield and Scituate that FEMA recognized. The appeal was discussed by the Scientific Review Panel (SRP). This panel had a total of 5 members from the scientific community. These members were picked from all across the country with specific knowledge of coastal science. Four of these scientist represented Marshfield and Scituate, and one represented FEMA. The SRP was charged with discussing and validating the data in the appeals as valid according to FEMA guidelines The Results: The Ransom Consulting appeal focused on wave height and wave period used to compute the wave setup on the FIRMs. This appeal was denied based on the fact that the arguments and data did not satisfy the NFIP mapping standards. This was a unanimous decision by all the members of the SRP. The additional data submitted by the Woods Hole Group was considered and accepted as valuable to the mapping process. According to FEMA, any proposed FIRMs with changes would be issues around October. This may result in revisions in some of the FIRMs in Marshfield and Scituate. What you can do: […]

Below is MCCC Chair Joe Rossi’s latest Coastal Connection column detailing ongoing items with the MCCC. Mentioned in the article is NFIP head Brad Kieserman, who recently announced he is leaving the NFIP for the private sector. This is a large loss, as he gave a riveting speech at the recent National Flood Conference and was instrumental in reforming the NFIP. A quick Map update. We should hear something about proposed maps within the next 2 months. The MCCC is working on how this information will be presented, and a timeline will follow over the summer. The Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalitions is fresh off our latest national effort, returning from the 2015 Property Casualty Insurers Official National Flood Insurance Conference. This conference has, once again, shown Marshfield as leaders in national flood issues. On the first day of the two-day conference, the conference started with a round table discussion with bankers, insurers, and FEMA leaders on discussing the status of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The discussion focused around simplifying the NFIP and funding more mitigation projects going forward. Later, there was an opportunity for us to attend a class about changes coming […]

Today, April 1st, brings a series of new changes to the NFIP that WILL affect you. Below is a simplified summary of the changes: –Newly mapped in structure procedure Structures entering the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) for the first time will be added through a new procedure. Before entering the SFHA, you will be grandfathered if you purchase the Preferred Risk Policy. Technically, you will have one year from the new maps effective date to obtain a PRP, but to simplify this process, we are suggesting that homeowners buy the PRP BEFORE you enter the special flood hazard are for the first time. The new maps for Marshfield, which are still under appeal, have no definite release date at this point. –New deductible A $10,000 deductable is now available, giving a significant reduction to premiums. However, remember that a $10,000 deductable will also apply to the contents as well. –Premium Increases Premiums will now no longer be able to go up more than 18% a year, excluding surcharges and fees. Premiums for pre-FIRM second homes, severe repetitive loss, and substantially improved properties will be capped at 25% excluding surcharges and fees -Surcharges and Fees […]

We are back! From March 18th to March 24th, Chair of the MCCC Joe Rossi was on a national flood tour to spread the word of what we are doing in Marshfield for flood, and learn what is going on in the rest of the country and in the industry. We met with Caitlin Berni of CSFI in New Orleans and attended the NFDA conference in Phoenix Arizona. Here is what came out of each meeting: Meeting with CSFI: Meeting with Caitlin Berni was a very informative meeting. After discussing each region and our own individual issues, we learned that overall, each region of the country is struggling with similar issues. Our concerns revolved around the new surcharges of $250 on second home flood policies starting with renewals after April 1st. Our focus was on how we make flood affordable and influence the 2017 NFIP reauthorization. What we learned is that Marshfield is clearly ahead of the game when it comes to flood reform. Talks to have Caitlin up to Marshfield had already begun, however she pledged to come to Marshfield later in 2015 to further discuss the national issues with flood, and report on 2017 reform efforts. […]

Chair Joe Rossi has begun a short national flood tour. Due to the need to network and understand the issues at a national level, the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition will be representing Marshfield and Massachusetts at several national flood meetings this week. Friday March 20th: On Friday, Joe will be meeting with the director of national coalition, CSFI, Caitlin Berni, in New Orleans. The meeting will be centered around ideas and our focus as we head to 2017, and also some unique issues facing each region of the country. Sunday March 22nd: Following the meeting with CSFI, Joe will be attending the National Flood Zone Determination Association annual meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona. This meeting will be one of the most important flood meetings of the year. At this meeting there will be Washington level members of FEMA, the chair of FEMA’s Technical Mapping Advisory Council, several bank regulators, and national leaders in local and federal flood policy. When we return from the trip, we will be bringing back a wealth of flood knowledge and expanding our ever-growing network. At the same time, we hope to be able to offer more products and services to better our understanding of […]

This week, there will be two opportunities to help those in need from our brutal January 26th Blizzard On March 17, the following restaurants will donate 10% of their sales to those in need: Bondo’s Bridgewaye Inn Cask n Flagon Haddad’s Ocean Café The Fairview Hola The Jetty Marshfield Famous Pizza KKatie’s Burgers PizZings The Roadhouse Venus II On Sunday, March 22, the Blizzard Benefit will take place at three restaurants in Brant Rock: The Jetty Haddad’s Venus II) From 3:00 to 8:00pm, for $20, you can buy a bracelet and get into any of the three restaurants for free music, light hors d’oeuvres, and bid on raffle or silent auction items. All money collected through both events will be distributed to those in need by several non profits in town through a vetting process: Sowing Seeds, Marshfield Good Neighbor Fund

In the coming weeks, there are several “blizzard benefit” events: February 15th: 2015 Blizzard Benefit– When: 3pm to 7pm- Where: Brant Rock: Venus II, Haddad’s and The Jetty- General info: Music, Raffles, & local Celebrities and $20 suggested donation but not limited to that amount. Wristbands will be sold at all three locations for entry to all events in the Esplanade. February 19th: Marshfield and Scituate Coastal Coalition blizzard benefit and flood insurance information meeting– When: 6:00pm- Where: St. Anns Parish Hall, 591 Ocean Street, Marshfield- General info: There will be light hors d’oeuvres while learning the latest information on flood insurance, resources for storms, Marshfield and Scituate grant opportunities, and more. The agenda of the meeting will be: 6:00 – Opening 6:15- Grant information 6:45- Flood insurance and claims 7:00- Reduce your premiums (mitigation) 7:15- Local resources for storms 7:30- Map update 7:45- Good neighbor fund and S.A.N.D.S (donations) Informal question time will follow This event will also be a fundraiser. People can come and donate money to the Good Neighbor Fund of Marshfield and S.A.N.D.S. of Scituate to benefit those who lost items in the recent blizzard. March 5th: Benefit for Marshfield […]

Starting on January 27th, and through February 27th, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (Mass DEP) has issued an Emergency Declaration for the entire state of Massachusetts. This allows certain items to be done without standard permitting AS LONG as you provide written notification to the Marshfield Conservation Commission and the DEP Regional Office before, February 2, 2015. Per the Declaration: “the written notification provides a detailed description of the post-storm activities performed or to be performed and certifies that the post-storm activities are limited to those necessary to restore conditions existing on January 26, 2015 and are necessary to protect public health or safety from damage caused by the January 2015 Blizzard on January 27, 2015 and the post-storm activities are completed by February 27, 2015” Here is the list of items that can be performed under this emergency declaration: Removal of objects and debris Removal of objects and debris blocking culverts, bridges, streams, or river channels Repair, stabilizing, and shoring up, but not expansion, of any building, foundation or other structure where the work is limited to the footprint of the structure that existed on January 26, 2015 and the cost of restoring the building […]

With winter storm Juno leaving, much as we had predicted, many have not seen flooding or damage associated with a storm like this since the “No Name” storm of 1991. This storm caused several total structure losses and much more damage along the coast. At this time, the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition would like to take a second to review storm history and losses as it pertains to the National Flood Insurance Program, since many who have received damage may be considering filing a flood loss claim. The following definitions classify your structure in two categories: Repetitive loss and Severe Repetitive Loss in relation to flood losses: Repetitive Loss: You have had 2 claims in 10 years over $1000 OR one loss exceeding 50% of the value of the structure since 1978 Severe Repetitive Loss: 4 losses of $5000 or more in 10 years OR 2 or more claims equaling or exceeding the value of the structure since 1978 If you are asking yourself if you should file a claim, that is 100% up to you as a homeowner. However, we advise claims for small items $2500 or less (such as deck damage) be avoided if […]

As many of you know, starting Monday night we will be facing what could be a 1 in 50 year storm. This is significant, as we have not seen a coastal storm this size since the storms of 1991 and 1992. In comparison, Nemo, the blizzard of 2013 was roughly a 1 in 25 year storm. Please be safe. Listen to bulletins issued by local authorities. If you see storm damage or experience storm damage, email us photos and let us know if you would like us to share them as we are always trying to document storms for our records. We will update you towards the end of the storm. Below is information from the National Weather Service: SIGNIFICANT COASTAL FLOODING AND SEVERE BEACH EROSION EXPECTED FOR THE EARLY TUESDAY MORNING HIGH TIDE AND POSSIBLY AGAIN FOR THE LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON HIGH TIDE… …COASTAL FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO 7 AM EST TUESDAY… …COASTAL FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING… * COASTAL FLOODING…MODERATE TO ISOLATED POCKETS OF MAJOR COASTAL FLOODING EXPECTED ALONG WITH SEVERE BEACH EROSION. * TIMING…DURING THE EARLY TUESDAY MORNING HIGH TIDE AND POSSIBLY […]

Marshfield is applying for elevation grants. These will be available for MOSTLY severe repetitive and repetitive loss properties, and we need interest from these types of properties to be the most competitive. What makes you a repetitive or severe repetitive loss? Repetitive Loss: You have had 2 claims in 10 years over $1000 OR one loss exceeding 50% of the value of the structure since 1978 Severe Repetitive Loss: 4 losses of $5000 or more in 10 years OR 2 or more claims equaling or exceeding the value of the structure since 1978 PLEASE ATTEND THIS GRANT MEETING: Held by the Town of Marshfield January 22nd from 6:00pm to 7:45pm at the Marshfield Library Function Room. Please remember this meeting will be focused on grants and NOT any FEMA rate increase or mapping information. Please see the official memo here: http://www.marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org/?page_id=117

As we move into 2015, the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition (MCCC) would like to THANK everyone for their support in 2014. We will need even more in 2015, because we are a long way from being done! Below are CRTICAL updates as we go into 2015 BREAKING Earlier this year congress passed the Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act (HFIAA). This act limited the annual allowable rate increase for any policy at 18%. While still high, the annual rate increase allowed under the Biggert-Waters Act were as high as 25% for many. However in a bulletin released by FEMA in October of this year, FEMA has interpreted the HFIAA to allow surcharges and Federal Policy Fees to go above and beyond the annual cap of 18%. Here are some examples: VE zones will go up 13% a year AE zones will go up 23% a year Pre-FIRM second homes will go up 37% a year These increases are much higher than expected, and unsustainable for many. The MCCC has made a quick reference sheet that gives the average increases for some zones. You can view it here under download #7: http://www.marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org/?page_id=117 These increases will […]

In March of this year, Congress passed the Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act (HFIAA). This act limited the annual allowable rate increase for any policy at 18%. While still high, the annual rate increase allowed under the Biggert-Waters Act were as high as 25% for many. However, in a bulletin released by FEMA in October of this year, FEMA has interpreted the HFIAA to allow surcharges and Federal Policy Fees to go above and beyond the annual cap of 18%. Below is a quick reference table of some of the average increases per zone: Flood Zone Annual Premium Increase (Allowable annual increase) plus the Reserve Fund Assessment Total premium increase—including the Federal Policy Fee (FPF) and the HFIAA surcharge (TOTAL) VE Zone 9% 13% AE Zone 9% 23% X Zone 11% 20% Newly Mapped into SFHA decrease 13% increase 7% Pre-FIRM Primary Residences 14% 15% Pre-FIRM Non-Primary Residences 24% 37% Severe Repetitive Loss Properties N/A 25% These yearly rate increases are drastically higher than either the Marshfield or Scituate Coastal Coalition expected. While the rate tables have also changed for the better for most policies, annual increases at such high numbers […]

Weather alert: Please be aware of the coastal storm today: From NOAA: COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 3 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON… COASTAL FLOODING…MINOR COASTAL FLOODING AND MINOR BEACH EROSION EXPECTED DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF TIDES AND STRONG EAST-WINDS RESULTING IN A SURGE UP TO AROUND 2 FEET STRONG TO POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WINDS TODAY ALONG THE SOUTH AND EAST COASTS OF MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND… …WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 10 PM EST THIS EVENING WINDS…EAST 25 TO 35 MPH WITH WIDESPREAD GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH. ISOLATED GUSTS OF AROUND 55 MPH ARE POSSIBLE

UPDATE: Flood Update Meeting Friday: This Friday, Sen. Robert Hedlund will be having an open discussion on flood insurance. The meeting is Friday, Oct. 31 at 12 noon at the Tavern, 1 Proprietors Drive Marshfield. We will be in attendance to give a short update.

NEW WEBSITE After much anticipation, we are happy to unveil the NEW and improved Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition website! This website offers several new great features: -Better compatibility over different browsers and devices -Easier to use and follow -More content in an easier to read format -More user interaction We are proud to unveil this site because YOU made it happen! This website was only possible by donations by users like you! Now that we have a new platform, we continue to need your donations in order to purchase software that will allow homeowners to quote their own flood policies on their own, an online cloud and conference interface so you can attend meetings online, and more! Flood update The NFIP continues to unveil a timeline for the HFIAA. New rate tables will be coming out in April of 2015. We unfortunately found out that X zone rates will be increasing 10% a year, rather then the anticipated 2%. For these reasons, we are taking a lead in developing how the 2017 piece of legislation that will replace Biggert-Waters and the HFIAA will look. We are still developing our project plan, however we know these meetings will take place […]

JOIN US for our open house! What: Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition open house Where: Parish Hall, 591 Ocean St, Marshfield When: 7:00pm Details: We are expanding our Executive Board membership, and kicking the membership drive and educational summer series off with an open house on July 10th at Saint Anns Parish Hall, 591 Ocean St, Marshfield at 7:00pm. This will give everyone an opportunity to see our summer schedule, meet the current Executive Board, get info on flood issues, find out how to become a member, all while enjoying some refreshments. There is still a lot of work to do and knowledge to learn, so please come down to Saint Anns on July 10th to get to know us and flood issues. Many people think that the flood issue is “all set”, but there is SO MUCH MORE TO DO AND LEARN! Become a member: As mentioned above, we are expanding our Executive Board. While everyone in Marshfield is automatically a member of the MCCC, the Executive Board is the MCCC governing body and has membership requirements. Our new bylaws expand the Board from 4 to 7 members, and we have several open seats! If you would like to become a member, please […]

Welcome to an update from the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition We want to thank everyone who has stood by us for the last 2 years we have existed. We have a few big changes ahead of us: We now accept donations! Please help us as we move forward! Even a little can go a long way. See the link below for more information: http://www.marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org/Marshfield_Citizens_Coastal_Coalition/Donate!.html New Bylaws As of June 1st, the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition will be operating under a set of bylaws. These bylaws also allow us to expand the Executive Board by 3 members. We will soon be soliciting applications for citizens to apply. You can find a copy of the bylaws at the link below: http://www.marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org/Marshfield_Citizens_Coastal_Coalition/MCCC_Documents.html Appeal Update Many of you have asked the status of our map appeal we made back in October. FEMA, by law, must respond to every appeal submitted, whether it is considered valid or not. Unfortunately, FEMA did not adhere to this law, and did not respond to our appeal. FEMA only accepted one of the several appeals made by the Town of Marshfield, and while the maps are delayed, FEMA has not indicated what their next step is. We will continue […]

Welcome to an update from the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition On May 1st, FEMA started implementing the first part of the Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act (HFIAA) The first part implemented will be to reimburse pre-FIRM homeowners who lost their subsidy due to the purchase or sale of a structure, purchase of a new policy, or laps of a policy. We have a memo on our website that outlines this. The link is below: http://www.marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org/Marshfield_Citizens_Coastal_Coalition/Legislative_Downloads.html In regards to the rest of the law, after discussion with NFIP, it will take about another month for the law to be legally interpreted. There is also word that new rate tables could take 8 months to create. We are still waiting for these issues to settle out. In regards to grandfathering, there is new information that we will be focusing heavily on going forward. For structures that are going to be added to the flood maps for the first time, the new law says that, upon the flood maps going active, those structures will be required to carry flood insurance at the Preferred Risk Policy (PRP) rate, which is very low. HOWEVER, if you do not have a PRP at the time the […]

Welcome to another update from the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition While it has been a while since we have sent an update out, we have been working behind the scenes and now have a lot of information to share. Most importantly, Special Town Meeting and Annual Town Meeting is this Monday, April 28th, at Furnace Brook Middle School auditorium at 7:00pm. We have one article that we are strongly encouraging support for. Article 16 of Annual Town Meeting allows houses to be raised higher than they currently can be. Right now, the max height of a structure (35 feet) is based off of measurement from the ground. Article 16 allows that measurement to be from the height of the Base Flood Elevation (BFE). This is critical for people raising the houses. We also urge the support of Article 12 of Annual Town Meeting. From the town warrant: The town has applied for a grant as part of the state Coastal Community Resiliency Grant Program to evaluate alternatives, such as providing beach nourishment, conducting jetty repair, constructing off shore structures or other measures for the purpose of reducing impact from coastal storms, to reduce erosion, flooding, and storm damage to property […]

Last week, FEMA said a recently enacted budget provision means that it won’t begin to implement higher rates for some flood insurance recipients until at least Oct., 2015, and perhaps as late as June, 2016. In January 2014, the spending bill known as the Omnibus Appropriations Package, H.R. 3547, was passed. The spending bill blocks FEMA from spending any money for the remainder of this fiscal year. The delay is only for primary residences and grandfathered properties will continue to be grandfathered. This bill does not cover second homes, severe repetitive losses, and any business. This bill does not get rid of any of the triggers for higher rates such as a sale of a home or purchasing of a new policy However, H.R. 3547 is only a short-term solution. The four-year delay, H.R. 3370, may get voted on next week in the house, but is expected to be heavily amended. We need to tell congress how critical a four-year delay is! If you have not yet, please sign the Massachusetts Coastal Coalitions letter to congress: http://www.massachusettscoastalcoalition.org/Massachusetts_Coastal_Coalition/Letter.html Also, please help tell YOUR story! The more stories told, the more we push Congress to vote for a full four-year delay! http://www.marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org/Marshfield_Citizens_Coastal_Coalition/Tell_Your_Story.html

In conjunction with the Marshfield Mariner newspaper, the MCCC has started the Tell Your Story campaign! Click the link below to tell us your flood insurance story. The more stories, the more we can argue how detrimental Biggert-Waters is. No story is too big or too small. If you select the Yes option, we will use your story in the paper to show how ridiculous flood insurance rates are. If the form does not work, then please just send us an email with your answers to the questions. Every story helps! Thank you! http://www.marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org/Marshfield_Citizens_Coastal_Coalition/Tell_Your_Story.html

Statement on White House Response to S. 1926 Yesterday, after the White House responded in opposition to S. 1926, the national coalition the MCCC is a member of, CSFI, issued a statement about the need the amend Biggert-Waters. That statement can be found at the link below: http://www.marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org/Marshfield_Citizens_Coastal_Coalition/Legislative_Downloads.html Our own State Rep. Jim Cantwell also issued the statement below: “Continued Flood Insurance Update: Friends, the flood insurance issue continues to be an example where individual voices make a big difference despite the fact that almost daily challenges arise. The great news yesterday is that the US Senate voted 86-13 to proceed with legislation that will freeze flood insurance rates on primary homeowners who have not experienced repetitive damage to their homes. Please take a moment today to thank both Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Ed Markey for their strong support (e-mail addresses and phone numbers to follow below.) Votes on the underlying bill could be completed as early as Wednesday this week. However, to show what a complicated challenge this is: despite this overwhelming, bi-partisan support for this compromise legislation, the President’s Administration sent a statement last night opposing key elements of the bill (the four year freeze and one […]

WEATHER ALERT Please see below about the impending storm and its affects on the coast. Shared from our friends at the Scituate Coastal Coalition: The National Weather Service is saying that near blizzard conditions may occur at the height of the storm tomorrow night and travel might be nearly impossible. One of the concerns must be frozen pipes. It will be brutally cold on Friday night into Saturday. TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING… THE COMBINATION OF HIGH ASTRONOMICAL TIDES AND THE RELATIVELY LONG DURATION AND FETCH OF NORTHEAST WINDS WILL SET THE STAGE FOR MINOR TO MODERATE COASTAL FLOODING FOR MULTIPLE HIGH TIDE CYCLES. WE DECIDED TO ADDRESS THE HEADLINES WITH EACH SUCCESSIVE TIDE. A COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ONLY THE MIDDAY THURSDAY HIGH TIDE. A COASTAL FLOOD WATCH REMAINS FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF MODERATE COASTAL FLOODING DURING EITHER OF THE THURSDAY NIGHT OR MIDDAY FRIDAY HIGH TIDES. 01/12Z GUIDANCE HAS COME INTO BETTER AGREEMENT WITH THE TRACK OF A COASTAL LOW PRESSURE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. CURRENT EXPECTATIONS ARE FOR WINDS TO SHIFT FROM NORTHEAST TO NORTH BEFORE THE FRIDAY MORNING HIGH TIDE. WHILE THIS WILL REDUCE THE RISK OF MAJOR COASTAL FLOODING FOR MOST OF THE EAST MASSACHUSETTS COASTLINE… THERE […]

BREAKING UPDATE Yesterday, at around 3:00pm, a group of U.S. Senators, lead by Senator Bill Menendez (D-N.J.) asked for the ability to bring to vote S. 1610, the Senate version of H.R. 3370, an act to delay rate increases in the Biggert-Waters Act. Unfortunately, Republican U.S. Senator Pat Roberts blocked the ability for a vote in the U.S. Senate on the bill. Roberts said, “This bill has not been through the committee process, we must ensure that all members have opportunity to weigh in.” This does not mean the bill is dead, however it is hard to see how this will pass this year with only this week left before the U.S. House leaves until 2014. We are very happy that both of our U.S. Senators, Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, stood with Senator Menendez to call for a vote. However, we are very disappointed in the decision of Senator Roberts to block such a vote. Below is a link to contact the Senator. Please contact him to express your displeasure with his decision that will undoubtedly leave many paying the Biggert-Waters rates for the foreseeable future. http://www.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailPat

Regional Meeting Due to the changing pace of the legislation, the focus continues to be the regional effort. As a reminder, The next meeting for the Massachusetts Coastal Coalition is Thursday, December 12th, at Saint Anns Parish Hall, 591 Ocean Street, Marshfield MA at 7:00pm. Everyone is welcome. The agenda will be first to recap any legislative updates, hear updates from member groups and communities, and continue the discussion of missions, goals, and other action items. Update from Congressman Keating Recently in the Patriot Ledger, there was an article outlining how Congressman Keating had asked specialists look into the accuracy of the math behind the maps. The findings from these specialists were, as we suspected, the modeling was not done right, and used Pacific coastal mapping methods. The article is here: http://www.patriotledger.com/topstories/x1372985616/Coastal-experts-say-FEMA-cut-corners-on-flood-map-methodology-for-New-England The full document can be found at our website under legislative downloads

Welcome to an update from the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition Last week we had the first meeting of what is now known as the Massachusetts Coastal Coalition (MCC). We had several South Shore communities involved. The greater discussion, however, is how the Massachusetts Coastal Coalition fits together with the national coalition we are members of. The Coalition for Sustainable Flood Insurance, or CSFI, will start to hold yearly meetings in the first quarter of next year. We hope to send delegates from the Massachusetts Coastal Coalition to represent all of us. Minutes from the meeting will be available at the MCC website at weeks end, which is www.massachusettscoastalcoalition.org Letter To Congress The first action item of the MCC is a letter drafted and approved by its member communities to urge Congress to pass H.R. 3370. We are actively looking for other organizations and communities to be co-signers of the letter. The letter is also on the MCC website. Thank you and have a great Thanksgiving!

Proposed Legislation Many of you have heard about the proposed legislation from Congresswoman Maxine Waters, set to pause the Biggert-Waters Act for four years. While we are happy to be getting congressional attention, as we read into the bill, this bill it is only a start. We have done a lot of analysis, and while much of the bill is clear, some is also still confusing. Our summary of the bill, who is protected under it and who is not as it is currently understood, it here (download 4): http://www.marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org/Marshfield_Citizens_Coastal_Coalition/Legislative_Downloads.html It is bill H.R.3370. The U.S. House of Representatives plans on trying to vote on this before years end. But remember, this is NOT a done deal. We are however, very hopeful this will pass and there is a lot of talk in Washington it should pass. Go to the link below to tell all the co-signers YOU SUPPORT the bill: http://www.marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org/Marshfield_Citizens_Coastal_Coalition/Contact_Congress.html Regional Group The next step for us at the MCCC is to focus how the final piece of legislation should be written once the 4 year pause in H.R.3370 is over. This is going to be done best in a regional way, so we are starting the South […]

Welcome to another update from the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition Proposed Legislation Many of you have heard about the proposed legislation from Congresswoman Maxine Waters, set to pause the Biggert-Waters Act for four years. While we are happy to be getting congressional attention, as we read into the bill, it is only a start. For example, it only pauses rates for grandfathered and pre-FIRM homes. Businesses, second homes and repetitive losses are still going to see rate increases. The MCCC executive board has a meeting this week to dive into the legislation to start to figure out better what it does and does not do, and we will be able to report later this week with more detail. Go to support H.R. 3370 Regional Group The next step for us at the MCCC is to focus how the final piece of legislation should be written. This is going to be best done in a regional way, so we are starting the South East Regional Coastal Coalition. This group will focus on information exchange, how to work together, but also how the new legislation should be written, in a way that is affordable to homeowners and citizens. This group will meet […]

Welcome to another update from the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition Our Focus Now that, for the moment, the flood insurance rate map appeal has been submitted and we are waiting for a response from FEMA, our focus is shifting to the legislation. We are currently organizing with other communities to work on the legislation the way that we, as homeowners and citizens, believe it should read, since we hold the burden of paying the premiums. Our next public event will be within the next few weeks, and we are working on organizing it now. While the details are still in the works, the event will be to address the legislation. We are holding a private meeting this week to organize our next steps, and will have more to report early next week. Website Tomorrow we will be rolling out our “Legislation” page. This page will allow you to contact our federal legislators directly, see updates to federal and state legislation, and download the latest legislative documents. Collage Project Don’t forget, we are still working on our photo collage project. Please either email us, or submit online on our photo gallery, a photo of you in front of your house so […]

MCCC Error Report The Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition has been very busy getting our map error report into the Town of Marshfield before the October 16th map appeal deadline. We handed in our report on October 4th, and were told by the Town that our appeal is valid, and will be submitted as an appeal to FEMA. There is still the hurdle of FEMA ruling on our appeal either as valid or not, but this is a great first step in getting there. The unified voice of our local, state, and federal leaders along with the citizens to FEMA could not be stronger. We could not have made this report without the input of so many. Because of that, we cite the citizens of Marshfield as a source. The report can be downloaded on our website: http://www.marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org/Marshfield_Citizens_Coastal_Coalition/Map_Appeal_Updates.html Government Shutdown The government shutdown does not affect the implementation of the flood maps or the Biggert-Waters Act. The FEMA mapping center and NFIP are both shut down, but the implementation of the maps continues. The fact that congress is trying to fix the shutdown means that amending Biggert-Waters in any way is not a priority at this moment to congress. The MCCC’s […]

Update: Part 2 of Biggert-Waters goes into effect TODAY The following goes into effect today: -Owners of subsidized policies on property that has experienced severe or repeated flooding will see 25 percent rate increase annually until rates reflect true risk -Owners of subsidized policies on business non-residential properties In a Special Flood Hazard Area will see 25 percent rate increase annually until rates reflect true flood risk Rally Update: We had a spectacular Making Waves rally this past Saturday. We had over 300 people, and had a bunch of local radio, newspaper and TV in attendance. In attendance to speak was Rep. Jim Cantwell, Rep. Garrett Bradley, Sen. Bob Hedlund, AG Martha Coakley, Congressman Steve Lynch, Dave Ball from the Scituate Coastal Coalition and Joe Rossi from the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition. A great article on the rally in the Patriot Ledger is here: http://www.patriotledger.com/news/x2139018178/Residents-and-politicians-gather-for-Stop-FEMA-Now-rally#ixzz2gISrCxIf Congressional Support: In addition to our entire federal delegation, and congressmen, congresswomen, and senators from all across the country, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, the co-spnsor of the Biggert-Waters Act, has issued a statement stating she no longer supports the act, and is in the works to amend it. This statement was issued on the eve of our rally, […]

We have several important updates. September 28th Making Waves Rally (Part of national Stop FEMA Day) On September 28th, there will be rallies all over the country to promote the repeal of FEMA flood maps and Biggert-Waters. The attention-grabbing headline is not that we want to get rid of FEMA, but that we need to stop the drastic changes they are promoting. The rally will be Saturday, September 28th at 9:00AM at the Mill Wharf Restaurant parking lot, Scituate, MA. This will be a rally with the town of Scituate as well. Please come with home made signs, and please park in public parking away from the Mill Wharf, as we will be gathering in the parking area near the restaurant. The rally will last about 45 minutes and will have speakers such as State Representative Jim Cantwell, and State Senator Bob Hedlund. Map Appeal Process After our first privet map appeal session with our volunteer land surveyors, we have found several areas we believe are map errors. We want to investigate the areas of error more, but we need your help! We have made a document explaining the errors and what information we need, it can be found here […]

This is another critical update with some very recent news and upcoming events. September 28th Rally As some of you may know, there is a national “Stop FEMA Now” day on September 28th at 12 noon. We are working with Scituate to organize the rally. While details are still being worked out, it looks as if we are leaning towards holding the event in Scituate that day. We will send out another email as details emerge. Map Appeal The Map Appeal workshop went very well. We collected a lot of data and will be meeting this Thursday with specialists to look over everything. The Town of Marshfield has also announced it will be hiring firms to attempt to appeal the maps. While the Town is trying to appeal, we are also going to be moving forward with ours. In our view, the more appeals the better. Our appeal will be focused differently then the Towns with the same objective; to change our maps. Many of you have asked where you can drop off information if you were not able to make the September 12th meeting. There are three options. Either on our website (digital form), mail it to our address, […]

Welcome to another update form the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition. It is crunch time. With only 38 days left to appeal the maps, there is a lot of activity, from both others and us. There are several very important updates for this week: MCCC Map Appeal Workshop As you may know, we are in a 90-day appeal period for the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM). A successful appeal would lower the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) in certain areas. We plan to make an attempt at an appeal. To do this, WE NEED YOUR HELP! Please attend our map appeal workshop on Thursday September 12th, at 6:00pm at Saint Anns Parish Hall, Marshfield. We are asking people to bring an elevation certificate (if you have one) and a site or plot plan, as long as it has topography on it. We hope to find errors with topography on the FIRMs. Because of the number of people we expect, we have broken the workshop into six different sessions: 6:00pm – Humarock 6:30pm – Rexham 7:00pm – Ocean Bluff (Including roads of Ocean Street) 7:30pm – Brant Rock 8:00pm – Green Harbor (Including roads of Careswell) 8:30pm – All Others While citizens do […]

Good Morning, The Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition has some very important updates to share: FEMA Meeting: This Wednesday, September 4th, at Furnace Brook Middle School, Marshfield will be the official FEMA meeting on the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM). There will be an informal map reading from 4:00pm to 7:00pm then a formal presentation by FEMA at 7:00pm with a question and answer session at the end. MCCC Map Appeal Workshop As you may know, we are in a 90-day appeal period for the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM). A successful appeal would lower the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) in certain areas. It is our own personal observation that the Town of Marshfield does not have enough time to appeal the maps, simply because of the time it takes to move through government bureaucracy. Because of that, we plan to make an attempt at an appeal. To do this, WE NEED YOUR HELP! Please attend our map appeal workshop on September 12th, at 6:00pm at Saint Anns Parish Hall, Marshfield. We are asking people to bring an elevation certificate (if you have one) and a site or plot plan, as long as it has topography on it. We hope […]

Good Evening, Welcome to another update from the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition. After our meeting last week, we have decided to have another Outreach the last week of August. Exact date, place, and time are not yet known. The official FEMA FIRM map meeting has been set for September 4th at 7:00pm at the Furnace Brook Middle School Marshfield. FEMA and DCR will be present to discuss the proposed map changes, why the maps were changed, and how the changes were developed. This is one of two meetings FEMA and DCR will have in all of Plymouth County, so please try to attend. We have also become members of a group called Greater New Orleans Inc. This group will represent us nationally to modify the laws the new FIRM maps are based on. They also have a weekly conference call we are involved in every Friday. This networking has already greatly helped us in our search to appeal our FIRM maps. We have talked to leaders in the New Orleans area and this networking nationally will benefit all of us. As always we are networking with our friends in Scituate, and more recently in Hingham as well. Also, we have […]

We had a wildly successful outreach this past Thursday, with close to 150 citizens in attendance. We had feedback from citizens, and all the way from FEMA and NFIP. We were told we were clear, simple, and, while there may still be some confusion, at least we are all on the same page to begin to move forward. I have received a lot of emails from citizens asking for help, and we are now getting to those. We want to correct one item discussed. While we were told the town has a CRS discount of 10%, right now we are not receiving the discount. However, town officials are working to correct this and we thank them for their hard work. The website now has our slide show and handouts from the outreach. We have also put our “Streets of Concern” list on the website as well. While there are many areas that remain in their flood zone but have seen a BFE increase, this list contains streets with properties that have either seen a flood zone change or have been added to the flood zone. We have received data that will break this down by property, but we are going […]

Good Evening, Welcome to another update from the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition. As a reminder, our outreach to inform residents of changes to FEMA flood maps and FEMA flood policies is this Thursday, August 8th at 7:00pm at Saint Anns Parish Hall, Ocean Street, Marshfield. We will be breaking the discussion into two parts. The new FEMA flood policies, then the new FEMA maps, with a focus on the maps. Please expect a one hour presentation, with a half hour question and answer session. There will be an informal time after this to look at maps and talk to our committee. We are asking people to bring their elevation certificate and site plan if they have one to help answer questions. Our presentation will be reviewed by NFIP, and we will only be handing out NFIP and FEMA documents, to make sure we give you 100% accurate information. Also please check our web site. We are not a town board or committee, but the Town of Marshfield web site has done a great job at updating a section of it for maps and other FEMA info. We have a link to their site on ours. We have also updated the maps […]

Good evening, For those of you who are new to our email list, welcome to another Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition (MCCC) update. The MCCC met last Wednesday, the 17th of July to discuss big changes coming to our FEMA flood maps and our flood insurance rates. There is so much to explain on both issues, and so much information coming out; There are several bullet points below to keep in mind: • There is A GOOD CHANCE these changes WILL affect you if you are in the flood plain. • If you were once not in the flood plain, you may now be in it. Check our web site (link below) to look up your house on the new FEMA flood map. • We have an outreach on August 8th, at 7:00pm at Saint Ann’s Parish Hall to give all accurate information on the changes coming. We strongly encourage people to attend. • For those at our last meeting, FEMA has verified coastal infrastructure WAS taken into consideration, both new and old, in the new maps. The MCCC executive board has a private meeting tonight to finalize our timeline on map appeals process, our further actions, and State and Federal […]

A lot of information was discussed on our meeting on 7/17/13. The executive committee had a discussion on our next move for outreaches to make sure individuals are aware of changes in FEMA flood maps and FEMA flood insurance rates that will affect them. The discussion ended with the following conclusion: There will be 3 outreaches. One scheduled for Aug. 8th at Saint Anns Parish Hall, time TBD. The second one will be around Sept. 4th, the final one will be around Oct. 9th. These outreaches will explain the changes occurring, attempt to answer questions, and help people find where their homes will be on the new maps. The State has agreed to supply documents to help explain the information. More info to come, as the executive committee is meeting the week of 7/22 privately.

Legislative Updates

THE NFIP HAS BEEN EXTENDED After a six-hour government shut-down, this past Friday Congress came to an agreement and funded the Federal Government. The short-term extension will fund the government through March 23rd. This includes the extension of the NFIP. However, as we have mentioned in past updates, this will once again be short term and will require our vigilance for the next six weeks. There is hope that in this time, legislators may try to work on some form of longer term NFIP extension that may or may not include reforms. We will continue to monitor the situation. Please email us for more detailed questions.

NFIP SET TO EXPIRE FRIDAY FEBRUARY 8th As of the writing of this message, Congress has not yet extended the National Flood Insurance Program, which expires at midnight on Thursday, February 8th. The NFIP continues to be tied to the Congressional Budget. If there is a government shutdown, the NFIP also shuts down. This will continue to be an issue as Congress intends to only pass short term extensions for the foreseeable future. The proposed legislation would extend government spending to March 23rd. FEMA has issued guidance for insurance companies on how to handle writing new flood policies, policy renewals, and claims during a flood program expiration. The MCCC has created consumer guidance for you as an insured to know what to do before, during and after a flood program expiration. Overall, our guidance outlines that: -If you have a flood policy renewing after February 8th, and within the next few weeks, PAY IT NOW -If you are planning to close on a home after February 8th, PAY FOR THE POLICY NOW. If paid before the program expires, the policy will still go effective on the closing during a program expiration. -If your policy is in force before the program expires, and […]

The NFIP Has Been Extended After a three-day government shut-down which included a three day NFIP lapse, Congress has come to an agreement and funded the Federal Government. The short-term extension will fund the government through February 8. This includes the extension of the NFIP. However, as we have mentioned in past updates, this will once again be short term and will require our vigilance for the next two and a half weeks. There is no word yet on whether the NFIP will be made effective to be retroactive for the three days it has lapsed. We will continue to monitor the situation. Please email us for more detailed questions.

The National Flood Insurance Program has lapsed. This mean that until the government shutdown is over: No new flood insurance policies can be purchased No new renewal bills can be issued If you have a policy in place, you will see no changes and claims will be paid as usual Refer to our consumer guidance HERE. Please contact us for more specific questions

As of the writing of this message, Congress has not yet extended the National Flood Insurance Program, which expires at midnight on Friday, January 19th. The NFIP continues to be ties to the Congressional Budget. If there is a government shutdown, the NFIP also shuts down. This will continue to be an issue as Congress intends to only pass short term extensions for the foreseeable future. FEMA has issued guidance for insurance companies on how to handle writing new flood policies, policy renewals, and claims during a flood program expiration. The MCCC has created consumer guidance for you as an insured to know what to do before, during and after a flood program expiration. Overall, our guidance outlines that: -If you have a flood policy renewing after January 19th , and within the next few weeks, PAY IT NOW -If you are planning to close on a home after January 19th , PAY FOR THE POLICY NOW. If paid before the program expires, the policy will still go effective on the closing during a program expiration. -If your policy is in force before the program expires, and you experience a claim, your claim will be handled as usual. . You can download the full guidance HERE

NFIP EXTENDED FOR 4 WEEKS On Friday, Congress extended the National Flood Insurance Program for 4 weeks until January 19th, 2018. Like before, this relieves the urgency of a program lapse, and we still urge you to be vigilant. Pay premiums on time and purchase flood insurance sooner rather than later. There is word that Congress may consider and pass a long term reauthorization with some reforms before January 19th. We will continue to monitor the situation and update you in January. We wish you the happiest of holidays an look forward to a productive 2018.

NFIP SET TO EXPIRE FRIDAY As of the writing of this message, Congress has not yet extended the National Flood Insurance Program, which expires at midnight on Friday, December 22nd. This will continue to be an issue as Congress intends to only pass short term extensions for the foreseeable future. Last week, FEMA issued guidance for insurance companies on how to handle writing new flood policies, policy renewals, and claims during a flood program expiration. The MCCC has created consumer guidance for you as an insured to know what to do before, during and after a flood program expiration. Overall, our guidance outlines that: If you have a flood policy renewing after December 22nd, and within the next few weeks, PAY IT NOW If you are planning to close on a home after December 22nd, PAY FOR THE POLICY NOW. If paid before the program expires, the policy will still go effective on the closing during a program expiration. If your policy is in force before the program expires, and you experience a claim, your claim will be handled as usual. You can download the full guidance HERE READ THIS WEEKS COASTAL CONNECTION In this months Coastal Connection, Chair Joe Rossi talks about the need for certainty in the NFIP: […]

On Tuesday of this past week, the US House passed the “21st Century Flood Reform” revised bill with a 237-189 vote. This bill had several compromises compared to the original bill text from June. Items that were removed from the original bill include the prohibition on flood insurance for new construction in the flood zone and The prohibition of coverage on properties with $1M replacement costs. We have a full summary of the bill on our website HERE (at the bottom of the page) It is unclear at this time whether the Senate will consider the House package. The ball is now in the Senate’s court. There is an indication that the Senate will focus on its own bill. Importantly, the flood program expires December 8th. There are talks of a short term extension of 3 months, 6 months, and possibly a year. We will keep you posted during this busy legislative season For all current pending Senate bill language, click HERE

In the past several months, we have been updating you on the progress Congress is making about the upcoming expiration of the National Flood Insurance Program on December 8th 2017. In the US House, an agreement has been reached between House Leadership and Chairman of house financial services Representative Hensarling to move the US House package forward to reauthorize NFIP for 5 years. There have been major concessions made to the original house package. In short, they are: Protections for Grandfathering and Changes to Treatment of Repetitive Loss Properties – This means that only after a policyholder has filed two claims AFTER enactment of this bill (should it become law) would they sustain a rate increase because they filed a claim. After the filing of a second claim, rates on that property will increase 10% annually, and after the filing of a third claim, rates will increase by 15% annually until full risk rates are met. If you are already paying a full risk rate, your rate will not increase. Prioritization of Mitigation Dollars – Mitigation dollars will be prioritized for properties that have flooded, and past claims can be counted for that prioritization. Excessive Lifetime Claims – This change increases the […]

In September, Congress voted to extend the expiration of the NFIP to December 8th, 2017. The MCCC was in Washington, DC lobbying for the extension to continue to September 30th, 2018 to ensure a comprehensive reauthorization. Last week was extremely active for flood insurance in the United States Congress. Several weeks ago, the US House proposed a piece of legislation that would have extended the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for six-months. Within the bill, Representatives attached the Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act, sponsored by Reps. Dennis Ross, R-Fla., and Kathy Castor, D-Fla., which “repeals government roadblocks to lower flood insurance rates by clarifying how non-government flood insurance policies can satisfy the federal flood insurance mandate for properties that are located in high-risk areas.” Senate did vote to extend the FAA, but only after cutting the private flood insurance language. The House of Representatives voted 264-155 to pass the Flood Parity Act, which the Senate did not vote on. We support a full reauthorization of the NFIP.

NFIP Extended Until December 8th A short-term extension of the NFIP was tucked into an agreement to provide billions in disaster aid for Hurricane Harvey, raise the debt ceiling and keep the government from shutting down. The Senate passed the package Thursday by an 80-17 vote, The House passed it on Friday. The package will extend the reauthorization of the NFIP deadline to Dec. 8. We will be in DC next week to advocate that the program is temporarily extended to September 30th 2018 in order for us to fully evaluate this hurricane season and the NFIP Affordability framework due out this month. We will update you with any other immediate changes. HURRICANE UPDATE We are continuing to monitor the situation in both Texas and Florida. We know that currently about 80,000 NFIP claims have been filed, and there are certainly going to be more. We again wanted to remind those that are affected in these areas to apply for FEMA for an application to begin the disaster assistance process. That number is 1-800-621-3362. We also have a hurricane preparedness guide on our website HERE Catch Chair Joe Rossi as he talks about why the NFIP is and will be so important now and going […]

MCCC Meets With Legislative Staff on 2017 NFIP Reform The Marshfield Citizen Coastal Coalition had a very constructive meeting last week with reps from Senator Warren’s office, Congressman Keating’s office, Congressman Lynch’s office, State Rep Jim Cantwell, and South Shore Chamber of Commerce members Geoff Gordon of Gordon Atlantic Insurance and Stephen Marcus of Marcus, Errico, Emmer & Brooks. We discussed issues related to National Flood Insurance Reauthorization bills that are working their way through both the House and Senate this week and next. Your input does matter, and we are working hard for all stakeholders involved! LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: the House Financial Services Committee completed the rest of the flood insurance markup, passing the remaining five bills out of committee. HR 2875: the NFIP Administrative Reform Act by Rep. Nydia Velazquez, passed 58-0. This bills allows for additional ICC Coverage and improves the claims process. HR 1558: the Repeatedly Flooded Communities Act by Rep. Royce. HR 1422: the Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act passed on a vote of 58-0. HR 2565: which uses replacement costs in determining premium values, passed on a vote of 34-25. HR 2246: the Taxpayer Exposure Mitigation Act of 2017, passed on a vote of 36-24. HR 2874: Congressman Duffy bill […]

Press Release For Immediate Release 6/12/2017 Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition Urges Congress Not to Adopt Flood Legislation as Written The Bill “National Flood Insurance Program Policyholder Protection and Information Act of 2017” is not good for the NFIP or policy holders as a whole The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) expires on September 30th, 2017. Several bills have been proposed in both the US House and US Senate. The bill titled “National Flood Insurance Program Policyholder Protection and Information Act of 2017” is expected to come out of the US House of Representatives committees and potentially brought to a vote in the coming weeks. The Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition has thoroughly reviewed this bill, taken stakeholder opinion on legislation, and drafted comments and letters to Congress on the bill. While the MCCC applauds Congress’s priority to reauthorize the NFIP, the MCCC strongly opposes the bill, as written. Overall, the bill contradicts its self, adds substantial administrative burdens, would force thousands of potential NFIP policy holders to private flood programs unwillingly, and burdens existing policy holders with increased costs as policy holder counts are expected to drop within the NFIP. The MCCC is mostly concerned about the bills […]

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE On September 30th of this year, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) expires. Congress has made it a priority to not only reauthorize the program, but also reform it. In the last 2 weeks, there has been an incredible amount of legislative activity. There are two bills proposed in the US House, and one in the US Senate. With all the moving legislation, we have been working with our national partners to make an impact on reauthorization. In the last week, we have been involved in 2 national conference calls, have scheduled meetings with our Federal representative’s offices, and have more planned. Over the coming weeks, we will be focused on making an impact with legislation and making you aware of legislative updates and changes. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERNCE! The next few weeks will be critical for the reauthorization of the NFIP. We are looking for your input on the proposed legislation. On our website, we have a comment sheet for each proposed bill, with a line for each section of each bill. Next to it, please make comments and email us the comment sheets back. Link to comment sheets Link to full legislative summaries and text […]

There has been a slew of legislative hearings in congress over the last few weeks. These hearings, in the House Financial Services Committee, and the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs committee have been aimed at trying to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program with significant reforms. On the Massachusetts Coastal Coalition website, we have posted the House Financial Services Committee hearings. These committee hearings are a sign that Congress has moved the NFIP reauthorization to a priority. See the 2017 page HERE This week, Chair Joe Rossi will be traveling to New Orleans, LA and Scottsdale, AZ in order to begin our efforts to push for reform priorities that we have worked on regionally and with national coalitions. In my trip to New Orleans, I will be meeting with the Coalition for Sustainable Flood Insurance. In Scottsdale, I will be attending the National Flood Determination Association (NFDA) annual conference. In January, Chair Joe Rossi was elected on to the NFDA board of directors. This conference is a chance for us to get in front of decision makers in FEMA. As we begin to get movement at the Federal level on the National Flood Insurance Program, we will begin to update you […]

There has been a slew of legislative hearings in congress over the last few weeks. These hearings, in the House Financial Services Committee, and the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs committee have been aimed at trying to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program with significant reforms. On our website, I have posted the House Financial Services Committee hearings. These committee hearings are a sign that Congress has moved the NFIP reauthorization to a priority. This week, I will be traveling to New Orleans, LA and Scottsdale, AZ in order to begin our efforts to push for reform priorities that we have worked on regionally and with national coalitions. In my trip to New Orleans, I will be meeting with the Coalition for Sustainable Flood Insurance. In Scottsdale, I will be attending the National Flood Determination Association (NFDA) annual conference. In January, I was elected on to the NFDA board of directors. This conference is a chance for us to get in front of decision makers in FEMA. In addition to the white papers and reauthorization ideas on our website, please feel free to email me any additional ideas or comments you would like brought up or questions asked at either […]

As we march closer to 2017 NFIP Re-authorization, The Coalition of Sustainable Flood Insurance (CSFI) has been releasing white papers on reform efforts. By the end of this year, these papers will be all out and under discussion. They will be posted on our downloads page.

From CSPAN “The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s top flood insurance official was joined by small business owners, mostly from the residential construction and real estate industries, at a hearing on the impact of rising National Flood Insurance Program premiums on small businesses. The business owners talked about quickly escalating premiums for homeowners in low-lying areas, and argued that private insurers might be able to offer lower rates, while the FEMA official said it was important for the flood insurance program to capture a wider base of customers to lower premiums overall.”

The US House votes in FAVOR of HR 3370! The full summary of the bill is at the link below under download #9. This now only requires the Presidents signature! Thank you to everyone who has gotten us this far. There is far more work to do, but this is certainly a great victory! http://www.marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org/Marshfield_Citizens_Coastal_Coalition/Legislative_Downloads.html

MAJOR UPDATE The US House of Representatives will be voting WEDNESDAY of this week on HR 3370. There is a summary of the bill at the below link: http://www.marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org/Marshfield_Citizens_Coastal_Coalition/Legislative_Downloads.html But here are some of the major points: Reinstates Grandfathering Caps Annual Rate Increases at 15% Refunds policyholders who purchased pre-FIRM homes after Biggert-Waters (7/6/12) and were subsequently charged higher rates Funds the Affordability Study and Mandates Completion However, there are some holes in the bill. We are getting word that rates could still spike should homeowners not in a flood zone now get mapped into a flood zone. At the MCCC, we have posted a list that was compiled by the Mass Area Planning Council for the Town of Marshfield late last year. This list gives a rough idea of structures that could be mapped into a new flood zone under the proposed flood maps. Again, please note that the proposed flood maps are postponed for one year. The list can be found here: http://www.marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org/Marshfield_Citizens_Coastal_Coalition/Official_Docs.html We will keep you updated as we find out more!

WASHINGTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency says a recently enacted budget provision means that it won’t begin to implement higher rates for some flood insurance recipients until at least Oct., 2015, and perhaps as late as June, 2016. The agency responded Thursday to a provision added to a recently enacted spending bill that bars the agency from spending funds for the remainder of the 2014 fiscal year to implement a provision of the 2012 Biggert-Waters Act. That provision required the agency to phase in higher premiums over five years for properties that had been grandfathered into previous FEMA risk classifications. Biggert-Waters is ending the grandfather clause by requiring actuarial rates — phased in over five years — for properties remapped into higher risk classifications. Some homeowners have been told to expect dramatic increases in premiums — double, triple, 10 times, or even higher. The phase in of higher rates, which were supposed to begin on Oct. 1, 2014, now won’t start at least for 12-18 months later, FEMA said in a memo Thursday about the impact of the congressional rider. The rider, added by Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge and backed by the entire Louisiana delegation, barred FEMA from using its funding […]

Statement on White House Response to S. 1926 Yesterday, after the White House responded in opposition to S. 1926, the national coalition the MCCC is a member of, CSFI, issued a statement about the need the amend Biggert-Waters. That statement can be found at the link below: http://www.marshfieldcoastalcoalition.org/Marshfield_Citizens_Coastal_Coalition/Legislative_Downloads.html Our own State Rep. Jim Cantwell also issued the statement below: “Continued Flood Insurance Update: Friends, the flood insurance issue continues to be an example where individual voices make a big difference despite the fact that almost daily challenges arise. The great news yesterday is that the US Senate voted 86-13 to proceed with legislation that will freeze flood insurance rates on primary homeowners who have not experienced repetitive damage to their homes. Please take a moment today to thank both Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Ed Markey for their strong support (e-mail addresses and phone numbers to follow below.) Votes on the underlying bill could be completed as early as Wednesday this week. However, to show what a complicated challenge this is: despite this overwhelming, bi-partisan support for this compromise legislation, the President’s Administration sent a statement last night opposing key elements of the bill (the four year freeze and one […]

URGENT LEGISLATIVE UPDATE Yesterday the Senate voted 86 to 13 in FAVOR of moving the bill to delay Biggert-Waters to debate in the Senate later this week. While it still means the bill must have a final vote in the Senate, getting it to this point was a major hurdle. Unfortunately, however, the Obama Administration has come out in opposition to a delay in Biggert-Waters. Story below: http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/01/obama_administration_states_op.html We will update you once we have more information.

Welcome to another update from the Marshfield Citizens Coastal Coalition As we get to the years end, we still remain without a vote on either S. 1610 or H.R. 3370. Just Tuesday, U.S. Pennsylvania Senator Patrick Toomey again blocked the ability for there to be a vote on S. 1610. The article explaining is below http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/05/penn_senator_blocks_vote_on_la.html To contact Senator Toomey, click here: http://www.toomey.senate.gov/?p=contact What this means is that, with the U.S. House and U.S. Senate gone for 2013, we remain without an amended Biggert-Waters act until 2014. Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu, one of the lead sponsors of the Senate bill, has said a vote will be taken in January. In the mean time, we continue to push to find more co-sponsors of both S. 1610 or H.R. 3370. Our regional effort with the Massachusetts Coastal Coalition continues as we gain momentum with our letter to Congress. Click here to become a co-signer. http://www.massachusettscoastalcoalition.org/Massachusetts_Coastal_Coalition/Letter.html

BREAKING UPDATE Yesterday, at around 3:00pm, a group of U.S. Senators, lead by Senator Bill Menendez (D-N.J.) asked for the ability to bring to vote S. 1610, the Senate version of H.R. 3370, an act to delay rate increases in the Biggert-Waters Act. Unfortunately, Republican U.S. Senator Pat Roberts blocked the ability for a vote in the U.S. Senate on the bill. Roberts said, “This bill has not been through the committee process, we must ensure that all members have opportunity to weigh in.” This does not mean the bill is dead, however it is hard to see how this will pass this year with only this week left before the U.S. House leaves until 2014. We are very happy that both of our U.S. Senators, Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, stood with Senator Menendez to call for a vote. However, we are very disappointed in the decision of Senator Roberts to block such a vote. Below is a link to contact the Senator. Please contact him to express your displeasure with his decision that will undoubtedly leave many paying the Biggert-Waters rates for the foreseeable future. http://www.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailPat

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE The short title is the Homeowner Flood Insurance Flood Affordability Act. SECTION 2. DEFINITIONS Defines key components of the draft affordability regulations FEMA is required to propose to Congress after completing the affordability study as well as key elements in the flood mapping process. Additional provisions included in this section will ensure that homeowners with flood-proof basements will continue to receive credit for this investment when their rates are calculated. SECTION 3. DELAYED IMPLEMENTATION OF FLOOD INSURANCE RATE INCREASES; AFFORDABILITY FRAMEWORK Delays the implementation of rate increases on the following three types of properties until FEMA meets two requirements: 1) completes the affordability study mandated by the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012, proposes a draft affordability framework for Congressional review, and Congress has a chance to give FEMA affordability authority; and 2) the FEMA Administrator certifies that the agency has implemented a flood mapping approach that utilizes sound scientific and engineering methodologies to determine varying levels of flood risk in all areas participating in the National Flood Insurance Program.: 1. All homes and businesses that are currently “grandfathered.” These are properties that were built to code and later remapped into a higher risk area. […]

From Representative Jim Cantwell: “On October 16, I was pleased to join Speaker Robert Deleo as he announced the filing of legislation that will limit the amount of flood insurance that a homeowner or business must purchase. Recently many residents in our Commonwealth were being told they are being mandated to purchase flood insurance coverage not just for their mortgage — as previously accepted — but now must insure the replacement cost of their home, contents, and property. It is my view and that of our working group that this is excessive. The legislation, which has been initially co-sponsored by Attorney General Martha Coakley and myself, will prohibit lenders from mandating flood insurance coverage that exceeds the outstanding mortgage on a property. This legislation also allows homeowners to lessen their flood insurance coverage by removing any mandate for lenders requiring flood insurance coverage for contents of the home/business. Passage of this state legislation will help homeowners who are mandated to carry flood insurance by providing them more affordable options for what coverage they wish to purchase. Though this legislation is a significant part of an on-going effort to combat excessive increases in flood insurance we all recognize that the major […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, has announced a bipartisan legislative solution to fix the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and ensure changes are implemented affordably. In essence, the legislation calls for a four-year delay to the program and requires FEMA to complete an affordability study and propose regulations that address affordability issues. The bipartisan deal comes after several weeks of negotiations with Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate. On October 9, in the midst of the government shutdown, Waters convened a bipartisan meeting of nearly 20 House Members, as well as Senate staff, to build consensus around an agreement to delay and fix the program. Today, Waters convened a conference call to finalize the legislation. “Over the past several months, I have felt the harm and heartache that many Americans have already experienced as a result of changes to the National Flood Insurance Program. From the start, I have made clear that I would lead the effort to fix the unintended consequences of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act,” said Congresswoman Maxine Waters. Waters added, “Today’s bipartisan agreement is an excellent start. This legislation would ensure FEMA undertakes the implementation […]

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